Defensive statistics and options?

[Chris]

Just having a look at our defensive record this season, where we are near enough conceding 2 goals every game in the league.

 

Looking over our record this season we have not kept a clean sheet in 10 competitive games this season. If you include last season in those stats it was nineteen games ago that we last kept a clean sheet (Marlow away 3rd April).

 

If you stretch that further in 2010 we have only kept three clean sheets (Woodford away, Soham at Home and Marlow away) in thirty seven games.

 

That's clearly not good enough for a side that wants to get promoted. Don't get me wrong we play some great attacking stuff and I think one time soon were ganna win big against one team when it clicks into place and I know Bates emphasis is on attacking football, but we drastically need to improve this record. Sometimes a 1-0 scrappy defensive win (thinking back to Woodford last season) can seem like a great result and leave you feeling good.

 

So maybe after all it's not up front that's the issue after all?

 

Wonder if Nathan Bowden-Hasse will be back in October as rumoured (although think he's injured at the mo). Also was Graeme Edwards rumoured to be back playing again late in the year? They would certainally help, but also wonder about maybe Perkins playing as a holding midfielder to give the defence extra protection as that's where he played for Welling and Hayes at a higher level.

 

Edited September 26, 2010 by Chris

[Matt]

I think Chris Seeby can also do a job in the middle of the park, though he's been outstanding at the back so far. I think I'm right in saying he's played there for Northwood.

 

Certainly it would do us no harm to try something like this, as we do need to stop leaking silly goals.

[Tom]

Getting rid of silly individual errors would go someway to cutting down the amount of goals conceeded.

 

Hitchin have built their success in the last 2 seasons by being solid at the back. All good sides do this. You haven't seen a league winning side finish top with a terrible defensive record leaking goals.

[Staines-upon-Thames Rebel]

Chris you are correct, and the other stat that puts it into context is that the 4 teams above us have only let in between 5 to 8 goals each unlike the 15 of Slough.

 

Rugby who also have played 8 games have only let in 5 goals, therefore there defence is 3 times more efficient than ours.

 

We may well be scoring more than the rest, but we are letting in vastley more and most are simple errors or just down right lazyness.

[Mark44]

Agreed that something has to be done. I think our main problem as said in another post is dropping yads. He seemed like the no nonsense player who would play well with seeby

[Reading Rebel]

Chris you are correct, and the other stat that puts it into context is that the 4 teams above us have only let in between 5 to 8 goals each unlike the 15 of Slough.

 

Rugby who also have played 8 games have only let in 5 goals, therefore there defence is 3 times more efficient than ours.

 

We may well be scoring more than the rest, but we are letting in vastley more and most are simple errors or just down right lazyness.

 

 

I would say more down to rank bad defending / marking than simple errors.

 

Wouldn't be surprised if SB is already in the process of implementing his programme notes to some of the players to either 'liven up or ship out'.

[Mr Rebel]

its been clear to me for ages that we simply are too easy to score against. this even with varying and different personnel. seems to me our defensive line is always to far up the pitch. how often do long balls clear our defenders yet how few long balls by us get close to beating a defender. just on saturday at least 5 attempts to put Sinclair through down the wing were headed away for example. if not headed away they run to the keeper. being beaten by high balls is nothing new at Slough though. been main source of goals against for at least 4 or 5 years

 

also defence starts from the front at the end of the day and we simply do not hurry and close down opponents like they do to us. midfield is nowhere to be seen. most times we lose the ball the opponents make at least 30-40 yards without a challenge even.

[Ian]

Defence starts from the front two. We have to be able to hold the ball up and we haven't done that for some time. That's what happens when you fire balls into two strikers who are both shorter than my 13 year old son!

 

Then the midfield needs to stop being bypassed and that's about shape. On Saturday there were times when we had two strikers forward, all four midfield and two defenders. Guess what, a simple hoof downfield gives them a goalscoring chance which they score from. Contrast this with Daventry's shape. How many times did we really get in behind them? How many times did their midfield/defence look miles out of position?

[Reading Rebel]

Defence starts from the front two. We have to be able to hold the ball up and we haven't done that for some time. That's what happens when you fire balls into two strikers who are both shorter than my 13 year old son!

 

Then the midfield needs to stop being bypassed and that's about shape. On Saturday there were times when we had two strikers forward, all four midfield and two defenders. Guess what, a simple hoof downfield gives them a goalscoring chance which they score from. Contrast this with Daventry's shape. How many times did we really get in behind them? How many times did their midfield/defence look miles out of position?

 

 

Ian, if you mean fire balls into feet obviously height shouldn't come into it just the ability and nous to hold the ball up and lay it off at the right time.

 

Virtually the whole team is set up to go forward and score goals. Great when the midfield and forwards are scoring but we are liable to get turned over when the goals dry up.

 

If you analyse our players probably only Yads, Harper and Sweeney are true out and out defenders.

 

Even if we change tactics/shape do we have the players to play that sort of game?

 

Pretty much the same as last season, we are no Bury or Hitchin who had the perfect balance between attacking and defending.

 

On our day we have the players to beat any team but those days will be too few and far between to win the league but probably good enough, as per last season, to scrape into a play-off position.

[Ian]

[

Ian, if you mean fire balls into feet obviously height shouldn't come into it just the ability and nous to hold the ball up and lay it off at the right time.

 

 

I agree. Satrday however we didn't play to the strengths of Sean and Danny. They were never going to get much change from the Daventry defence with us slinging in crosses from left and right.