If our results matched our performances, we'd be THIRD.

[DTES]

Firstly, apologies if this is fixtures. I did a search for "Squawka" and didn't find it......

Anyway, those boffins at Squawka have apparently analysed every kick of every game and come up with the following table for performances in the Championship so far this season. We should be delighted and full of confidence, right? Premier League here we come!

1. Derby (No arguments here. These guys must be on to something)
2. Bournemouth (Makes sense...)
3. Brighton & Hove Albion (Hang on, what?)
4. Fulham
5. Norwich
6. Blackburn
7. Middlesbrough
8. Wolves
9. Forest
10. Brentford
11. Watford
12. Ipswich
13. Cardiff
14. Charlton
15. Sheffield Wednesday
16. Wigan
17. Huddersfield
18. Leeds
19. Millwall
20. Rotherham
21. Bolton
22. Blackpool
23. Reading (Keep up, Nigel)
24. Birmingham

The full article is HERE

How does it all work? If you've got the time and inclination to read how they work it out it's all here and here.

How many other 23 teams would you say are in a completely misleading position? I don't think for a second we're the 3rd best team in this division - but it's not a random list of teams and, us aside, isn't entirely dissimilar to the League Table, so surely it can't be complete nonsense?

I thought it would provoke a good conversation, sorry binfest, anyway...

 

[MattBackHome]

I really like Squawka.

 

[Triggaaar]

Is it possible for the FA to use this to determine the final positions?

 

[Stat Brother]

Not even I'm buying into that.

 

[Norman Potting]

..And if my Granny had been born with wheels she could have been a tram.

 

[mac04]

If those stats are to be believed, then our worst 3 players last season (based on points per minutes on the pitch, and out of the 26 who played more than 5 games) were Ulloa, Barnes and Bridcutt.
Maybe that's how we decided to get rid of them?

The best were Dunk, Lua Lua and March.

 

[mac04]

This season, the best are Lua Lua, Dunk and Tex

The worst are O'Grady, CMS and Baldock

 

[DTES]

This season, the best are Lua Lua, Dunk and Tex

The worst are O'Grady, CMS and Baldock

I'm not going to argue with much of that...

 

[bhafc99]

Someone really should make a chart of all this kind of stuff...

 

[Moshe Gariani]

The negative confirmation bias mob will ignore these data.

For me, they are compelling and fit with the evidence of my own eyes that we have some very good players and a decent system that challenges our opposition.

I expect us to climb the (real) table during the rest of this season.

 

[Hamilton]

Oh that's ok then. Thank god for that. I thought we were fifth from bottom, but thankfully...

Let's hope performance trumps results in the long term.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

It's the points that the Albion score for possession that gets us top of the rankings. I'm sorry, but I'm not convinced. Getting hold of the ball and just hanging on to it doesn't make a great football team.

 

[jessiejames]

We have been shit most of the season. The only game that IMHO we deserved to win,and we did not was against Cardiff.

 

[Spun Cuppa]

We need a striker with Aguero's stats against BM last night...

Shots:3

On target:3

Goals:3

Cue the behemothic Bentster to start forming a neat pile of 'Goal' stats

 

[Barrel of Fun]

We need a striker with Aguero's stats against BM last night...

Shots:3

On target:3

Goals:3

Cue the behemothic Bentster to start forming a neat pile of 'Goal' stats

A snip at £38m. To think we have wasted treble that on a bloody building we can't fill.

 

[Machiavelli]

The negative confirmation bias mob will ignore these data.

For me, they are compelling and fit with the evidence of my own eyes that we have some very good players and a decent system that challenges our opposition.

I expect us to climb the (real) table during the rest of this season.

Spot on. I'd combine this post, with Mustafa's. He says all we needed was a replacement for Ulloa. That we now have (for six games to start off with). Bingo.

 

[Barham's tash]

Spot on. I'd combine this post, with Mustafa's. He says all we needed was a replacement for Ulloa. That we now have (for six games to start off with). Bingo.

What we're yet to replace with the loss of Ulloa is a forward that works hard for the team's cause. How often did you see him (and the season before him Murray, and to a lesser extent Barnes) dropping deep defending, hunting the ball and playing other players into the game. I'll be laughed off the forum but I genuinely saw some of that in COG but his biggest problem was that he ran out of steam and didnt have sufficient pace to rejoin the attacks he started from holding the ball up and developing play.

In Bent what I think we'll have acquired is a striker with a modicum more pace than that which we have already, especially over three yards, and one with above average footballing intelligence. I expect a forward trio of Bent, Bennett and Lua Lua on Saturday with, in my ideal world Tex in behind to feed the play. Couple this with Ince/JFC or Gardner behind if they're willing to do the dirty winning the ball back and laying off combo just might kick start our season.

 

[Machiavelli]

What we're yet to replace with the loss of Ulloa is a forward that works hard for the team's cause. How often did you see him (and the season before him Murray, and to a lesser extent Barnes) dropping deep defending, hunting the ball and playing other players into the game. I'll be laughed off the forum but I genuinely saw some of that in COG but his biggest problem was that he ran out of steam and didnt have sufficient pace to rejoin the attacks he started from holding the ball up and developing play.

In Bent what I think we'll have acquired is a striker with a modicum more pace than that which we have already, especially over three yards, and one with above average footballing intelligence. I expect a forward trio of Bent, Bennett and Lua Lua on Saturday with, in my ideal world Tex in behind to feed the play. Couple this with Ince/JFC or Gardner behind if they're willing to do the dirty winning the ball back and laying off combo just might kick start our season.

I'm with you on just about everything here, including COG -- I hate blanket calls on players that claim they're either hopeless or brilliant. Your one problem is that you've forgotten about Colunga.
Things are looking up. March and Stephens hopefully back soon, too.

 

[HenryC]

I think this is spot on. So many of the draws should have been wins. With Ulloa we would be in the promotion spots...

 

[Barham's tash]

I'm with you on just about everything here, including COG -- I hate blanket calls on players that claim they're either hopeless or brilliant. Your one problem is that you've forgotten about Colunga.
Things are looking up. March and Stephens hopefully back soon, too.

Colunga, March and Stephens all serve to make our bench all the better but none probably deserve to oust their equivalents in the first XI?

And being frankly honest why all the hyperbole about March? He scored one 'good' goal against Norwich two preseasons ago and now he's hailed as some KLL equivalent for out other wing. Competent and good to see from a local youngster coming through but he's not exactly in the special player category yet surely?