First five games - Stats

[LordJord]

So as the season is slowly starting to get going now thought I would do a 5 game review on team / player performance. If there is anything you are particularly curious about do let me know and I can look into it also.

First things first, looking at expected goals for v expected goals against. Grimsby so far look extremely good defensively, Crawley look good going forward. At the other end there are a group of teams looking very similar (the lines are not central as taken from the Median results).

So far in terms of who is the classic hoofball team... well its us sadly, Northampton Town!

We are the slowest with the ball with only 10 passes per minute of possession (Plymouth are still the best). Northampton also have 2 of the top 5 players in the league when it comes to aerial duels per 90 minutes. Basically we are slow and long ball, fantastic.


FGR have attempted the most passes and have the best pass accuracy (but havnt done much with it). Oldham have attempted the least and Scunthorpe have the worst pass accuracy so far.

Does your team get in the face of the opposition? Challenge Intensity measures the number of duels, tackles and interceptions per minute of opposition possession. Leyton Orient top the league 2 charts at the moment with 9.8

 

[LordJord]

More will follow tomorrow (for those that care!)

 

[Gladders]

Surprised we have the best defence xG wise, how much better it would be if it wasn't for the last 5 cheap goals we have given away!

 

[shoddycollins]

FGR have attempted the most passes and have the best pass accuracy (but havnt done much with it). Oldham have attempted the least and Scunthorpe have the worst pass accuracy so far.

View attachment 11770

Does your team get in the face of the opposition? Challenge Intensity measures the number of duels, tackles and interceptions per minute of opposition possession. Leyton Orient top the league 2 charts at the moment with 9.8

View attachment 11771

Looking at those you could be forgiven for thinking we were the best team in the division, of course like FGR we're not really doing much with it all, and all our pressing hasn't stopped only two teams allowing better chances than us. You could put possession stats up too as with 59% possession across our five games we'd likely be up there and only those who've seen us play so far* can explain how we're managing to create so little and allow so much.

*we're just really error prone at the back and have no final product up front, also we naturally get more posssession once we're two goals down and the pressure is off our opponents.

Encouragement for our weekend game though is that Scunthorpe do just appear to be a shitter version of us who pass less and have even less firepower than us, such that they let us have some of theirs.

Also you mention something about passes per minute but there is no graph.

 

[LeonTheGreen]

Very interesting.

 

[Chris FGR]

FGR have attempted the most passes and have the best pass accuracy (but havnt done much with it). Oldham have attempted the least and Scunthorpe have the worst pass accuracy so far.

Us passing it around a lot, without doing much with it? That's hard to belie.....oh.

Looking at the XG for/against scatter graph, you would think we were near the bottom of the table, not 3rd averaging 2 points a game.

 

[shoddycollins]

Looking at the XG for/against scatter graph, you would think we were near the bottom of the table, not 3rd averaging 2 points a game.

With only 5 games played though, luck is still a factor. Crawley in mid-table despite being one of the better teams on xG are still only 3 points behind you, all it would have taken would be a couple of deflected shots or worldies scored out of the blue, or a slip from a defender to switch the two of you around.

 

[JJ1532]

So as the season is slowly starting to get going now thought I would do a 5 game review on team / player performance. If there is anything you are particularly curious about do let me know and I can look into it also.

First things first, looking at expected goals for v expected goals against. Grimsby so far look extremely good defensively, Crawley look good going forward. At the other end there are a group of teams looking very similar (the lines are not central as taken from the Median results).

View attachment 11768

So far in terms of who is the classic hoofball team... well its us sadly, Northampton Town!

We are the slowest with the ball with only 10 passes per minute of possession (Plymouth are still the best). Northampton also have 2 of the top 5 players in the league when it comes to aerial duels per 90 minutes. Basically we are slow and long ball, fantastic.


FGR have attempted the most passes and have the best pass accuracy (but havnt done much with it). Oldham have attempted the least and Scunthorpe have the worst pass accuracy so far.

View attachment 11770

Does your team get in the face of the opposition? Challenge Intensity measures the number of duels, tackles and interceptions per minute of opposition possession. Leyton Orient top the league 2 charts at the moment with 9.8

View attachment 11771

Facsinating seeing where we rank on the various lists.

I find most of the stats for us understandable. We've dominated each of our 5 games in terms of possession, so not surprising to see us in the top 4/5. I do find it odd that we are classed as having a good attack. That should be based on XGF compared to the number scored. I mean, I have by my count a 7.9 XGF total. This list has it around 8.5 To only score 5, 4 from open play, wouldn't mean our attack is all that great to be honest.

Still, nice to be at the right end of each statistic.

 

[LordJord]

Looking at those you could be forgiven for thinking we were the best team in the division, of course like FGR we're not really doing much with it all, and all our pressing hasn't stopped only two teams allowing better chances than us. You could put possession stats up too as with 59% possession across our five games we'd likely be up there and only those who've seen us play so far* can explain how we're managing to create so little and allow so much.

*we're just really error prone at the back and have no final product up front, also we naturally get more posssession once we're two goals down and the pressure is off our opponents.

Encouragement for our weekend game though is that Scunthorpe do just appear to be a shitter version of us who pass less and have even less firepower than us, such that they let us have some of theirs.

Also you mention something about passes per minute but there is no graph.

Forgot to add it in! Here we go. We host Plymouth on Saturday, will be interesting to see the contrast of styles.

 

[LordJord]

Facsinating seeing where we rank on the various lists.

I find most of the stats for us understandable. We've dominated each of our 5 games in terms of possession, so not surprising to see us in the top 4/5. I do find it odd that we are classed as having a good attack. That should be based on XGF compared to the number scored. I mean, I have by my count a 7.9 XGF total. This list has it around 8.5 To only score 5, 4 from open play, wouldn't mean our attack is all that great to be honest.

Still, nice to be at the right end of each statistic.

Good point, ill change it to creative attack or something of that ilk!

 

[shoddycollins]

Forgot to add it in! Here we go. We host Plymouth on Saturday, will be interesting to see the contrast of styles.

View attachment 11777

We're pissing this tinpot division!

I don't think opta collect information on how positive a pass is, but someone should rate passes on how many players for each team are between the ball and the goal before and after each pass.

A good pass should result in fewer opposition players, without also taking too many of your own players out of the game.

I'm sure the majority of our passes, it would turn out, have no effect on this.

 

[Gladders]

Good account and twitter thread for the stattos

https://twitter.com/x/status/1167375777681293313

 

[GTFCfish]

Here’s another interesting stat:

 

[Chris FGR]

Yep, Hanson was unstoppable in the air against us. Only problem was he kept heading it wide.

 

[Gladders]

Yep, Hanson was unstoppable in the air against us. Only problem was he kept heading it wide.

3 goals, 2 assists in 5 games suggests that was an anomoly. Just giving the tin potters false hope for the season

 

[Chris FGR]

3 goals, 2 assists in 5 games suggests that was an anomoly. Just giving the tin potters false hope for the season

Don't need false hope our brilliant XG stats say it all. We're virtually unbeatable.

 

[Gladders]

Don't need false hope our brilliant XG stats say it all. We're virtually unbeatable.

I can see that, shame the season isn't 5 games long eh?

 

[Deepcut Cobbler]

Why is Bayo included in this, he doesn't bother jumping therefore doesn't get 'aerial'...

 

[Crewelad87]

These stats look very un Crewe like. A solid defence with a creative attack. Plus two players in the EFL most Ariel duals won.

 

[Indian Dan]

Here’s another interesting stat:
View attachment 11787

Fucking hoof merchants the lot of yer!

 

[Boletus Edulis]

Forgot to add it in! Here we go. We host Plymouth on Saturday, will be interesting to see the contrast of styles.

View attachment 11777

Part of that is because we largely play out from the back (though our ‘keeper did get an assist last week). Where you need to be concerned is if the passing involves Mcfazdean, Mayor or Baxter then it will be in or around the danger areas.

 

[Crewelad87]

Most Key Passes* in LEAGUE TWO this season
9 - Paul Green
7 - Tommy Lowery
7 - James Brophy
7 - Nicky Law
7 - Nathan Thomas
6 - Jevani Brown
6 - Richie Towell
6 - Ryan Jackson
6 - Llyod Isgrove
6 - David Worrall
6 - Paul Lewis

* defined as a pass to a teammate in a goal scoring position or that cuts off three players in the attacking phase.

It is essentially a potential assist.

Green and Lowery for us. They are both key players in us dominating possession in all our games so far.

 

[Gladders]

Can we get more player stats please? Such as tackles made/won, I'd like to see if Hessenthaler is as good as I think he is.

Also passes completed, amount of running etc..

Maybe some for the worst players too like how often do they give the ball away or foul etc.

 

[Indian Dan]

As we all know, possession means fuck all if a) you don’t win the game or b) don’t score a goal.

At the end of the season the best 3 teams will get auto promoted, irrespective of their style of play.

The key in this league is to have your best XI on the pitch as often as possible as most club’s back ups are either square pegs or just fucking useless.

 

[Bottega Don]

Interesting stat from our point of view

We've never been losing at half-time this season, we've only conceded 1 goal in the first half of all of our games. Yet we've managed to lose every game but one and concede 12 in the second half. Hurst must be telling the team to do the opposite of what they did in the first half.

 

[Chris FGR]

As we all know, possession means fuck all if a) you don’t win the game or b) don’t score a goal.

At the end of the season the best 3 teams will get auto promoted, irrespective of their style of play.

The key in this league is to have your best XI on the pitch as often as possible as most club’s back ups are either square pegs or just fucking useless.

What if you don't have a best XI and change half the team every week? Literally everyone in our squad bar 3 that have either been injured the whole time or are third choice keeper have started games, we've used 21 players in 6 games so far, 19 have started 2 or more.

 

[Indian Dan]

Then I’d say if that continues much longer then you’re fucked.

 

[Chris FGR]

Dunno, suppose at least rotation keeps everyone fairly happy. Not good to have players sitting around not playing.

 

[Gladders]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1169332897259692032

 

[shoddycollins]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1169332897259692032

FGR trying to walk it in