How much have we missed Harding this season?

[KPTF]

In view of the fact that we've conceded the second highest number of goals in the Championship, it's interesting to see that most people's selections for Player of the season & most improved player are defenders (usually Butters, McShane and El-Abd). In addition, it's fair to say that most of the players who have played at Right Back (Hart, Reid and El-Abd) have done a good job there.

So, is the reason we've shipped so many goals due to not sufficiently replacing Harding at LB?

Those who have been tried there (namely Mayo, Reid, Harty (once) and El-Abd) haven't looked at all comfortable there, with El-Abd probably being the strongest/best there? (Lynch has done ok in the handful of games he's been there but I'm looking back at the number of goals we've conceded over the whole season to date and I'm sure he's being lined up to replace Butters as the left sided central defender next season).

Or, is it down to the deterioration in defensive cover from the midfield, particularly the wide players? Last year, we had Hart/Reid and Hammond/Currie(!); this year, we've had the French pair + Jarrett.

I've crunched some comparitive numbers below:-

SEASON 1-O WINS CLEAN SHEETS FAILED TO SCORE

04/05 9 (20%) 11 (24%) 15 (33%)

05/06 2 (6%) 7 (19%) 12 (33%)

It's interesting to see that, despite the assertion that we've missed a decent striker this year, the FTS %'s are identical and the % of Clean Sheets is close-ish. Where we've missed out, is in grinding out the 1-0 wins.

This is probably due to a combination of more attacking flair (a la Carole & Frutos) combined with defensive frailty at left back. Any scout worth their salt would always have noted our problems at full back, hence most teams seem to get their success down this side (Huckerby excepted!).

 

[CHAPPERS]

I think we have missed having an actual a left back, I'm not sure how much we've missed Harding himself though he was starting to fulfil what potential some saw in him (that took me a while to notice if I'm honest) from an early age.

 

[Robot Chicken]

Good analysis

 

[Stinky Kat]

I think we have missed having an actual a left back, I'm not sure how much we've missed Harding himself though he was starting to fulfil what potential some saw in him (that took me a while to notice if I'm honest) from an early age.

Agree, after seeing him at Elland Road I thought we had done the right thing getting rid of him, but we never replaced him so thats been the problem, along with realising we need a scorer and somebody to pass the ball to that scorer

 

[Da Man Clay]

I agree with Chappers, we miss any sort of LB Lynch is gonna fill that place now i expect but you must remeber Harding cost us a fair few points and almost cost us a place in this divison. (The ball he gave away in the play off semis for Fallon to score) Im not sure what difference if any Harding would have made.

 

[Napper]

are those 04/05 stats for the whole season. It def shows that those 1-0 wins that we ground out were a major difference. I think we have missed Harding as he was a natural left back and had a good season under his belt. I believe he could of been replaced fairly easily but as he wsn't it has def been a factor for us this year.

I'm suprised we haven't changed the formation at the back to maybe 3 centre backs as we seem keen to chop and change in many areas except the formation of our defence , which is the 2nd leakiest in the whole division. This should of been done before now however.

 

[GUNTER]

Rose tinted specs. He was often much worse than good, vunerable to anybody who ran at him.

 

[Goring Gull]

He's only improved because he is surrounded by a far better bunch of players and a decent set up and manager if he'd been here he'd have got no better.

 

[KPTF]

are those 04/05 stats for the whole season.

Yes - League only (although we didn't have any 1-0's in the Cups).

I'm suprised we haven't changed the formation at the back to maybe 3 centre backs

Agreed - El-Abd, McShane & Butters and Hart/Reid at RB - but still leaves the problem of who to play at LB.

 

[blockhseagull]

Yes and no

I know thats a shit answer, however we have missed having a regular naturally left footed full back.

Lynch has covered well, but still isn't what we need.

Harding however did have some poor games for us, but i suppose he is still young.

 

[Schrödinger's Toad]

Rose tinted specs. He was often much worse than good, vunerable to anybody who ran at him.

Not completely true - he had a bad run mid-season, but improved immeasureably towards the end, and had a near-perfect game against Campbell-Ryce at Rotherham.

We've missed him greatly this year - for me it's one of the main charges against McGhee that he watched Harding, Jones and Watson leave the club and replaced them with no-one. We haven't had a proper left-back all season, and have paid for it.

 

[Storer68]

no. we still lose games, and we are still vulnerable at left back - i would say we haven't missed him at all.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

I don't think its Harding himself we miss but a proper, bona fide left back.

Hardings best performances were really left midfield in my opinion.

 

[Sheebo]

I think we have missed having an actual a left back, I'm not sure how much we've missed Harding himself though he was starting to fulfil what potential some saw in him (that took me a while to notice if I'm honest) from an early age.

that's spot on..we've missed a left back of a good standard.. not so much harding himself me thinks

 

[saltash seagull]

have to agree don't think we've missed harding just a natural left back

 

[Da Man Clay]

Not completely true - he had a bad run mid-season, but improved immeasureably towards the end, and had a near-perfect game against Campbell-Ryce at Rotherham.

We've missed him greatly this year - for me it's one of the main charges against McGhee that he watched Harding, Jones and Watson leave the club and replaced them with no-one. We haven't had a proper left-back all season, and have paid for it.

Jones and Watson were no use at all and would have not helped us at this level. Harding was at least competent at this level, it was Hardly his fault Harding left either. I believe he signed a replacement in Dodd who has just been unlucky with injuries. I dont see any fault with MM in there.

 

[blockhseagull]

Not completely true - he had a bad run mid-season, but improved immeasureably towards the end, and had a near-perfect game against Campbell-Ryce at Rotherham.

We've missed him greatly this year - for me it's one of the main charges against McGhee that he watched Harding, Jones and Watson leave the club and replaced them with no-one. We haven't had a proper left-back all season, and have paid for it.

Jones was never a left back though was he ?

As for Watson i think the injuries that he has had for McGhee's entire spell here counted against him, and he hasn't got on anywhere else has he.

 

[Albion Dan]

We have missed Virgo, Cullip, and Currie a whole lot more!

 

[blockhseagull]

We have missed Virgo, Cullip, and Currie a whole lot more!

Cullip i would question, we actually improved after he left, (last season i mean )

 

[silky1]

We have also played a lot less defensive footbal which will make the stats different (less 1-0, and clean sheets).
I thought Harding was a decent left back, but the general consensus is we have missed ANY left back. I would agree with that.