Egg
Well-known Exeweb poster
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2004
- Messages
- 9,697
Frankly, I've lost track of how many different centre-half pairings we have tried this season. However, for my money, the most successful, by some considerable distance, has been Moxey and O'Shea.
Indeed, I'd go as fas as to say the two of 'em were imperious over the turn of the year. What is more, the statistics seem to support this view – in the 11 games Deano and Dara lined up together at the hear of our defence between December 15 and February 23, we won seven and drew one, averaging two points a game [over the season we've averaged just 1.5 points per game].
Deano missed the three matches after the Crewe game on February 23 with injury and we proceeded to take just one point from the nine available. Reunited with Dara for the visit of Colchester on March 16 we won 3-0. That was followed by another win in our next game, at Notts County, when Dara was on international duty and Troy Brown proved an able deputy.
Plainly, the 4-1 defeat in our next game, at home to Mansfield, was a big disappointment and, I think it's fair to say, neither Deano or Dara were at their best. However. Mansfield are clearly one of the best sides in League Two and while that performance undoubtedly represented 'a bad day at the office' I'm not convinced there was any need for Matty T to read too much more into it and to break up what has, on balance, been such a successful partnership. Again, I'd suggest this is borne out by the stats – we've taken just four points from the four games that have followed conceding seven goals in the process; that's just one less than the eight goals we conceded in the 11 games Dara and Deano lined up together between December 15 and January 23.
Now I'm a big Troy Brown fan and I can kinda understand why, in light of the Mansfield defeat, the manager felt the need to change things; similarly, I recognise there are 'lies, damn lies, and statistics'. However, it seems clear to me that our best chance of a top-seven finish depends on Matty T seeing sense and restoring two centre-halves who, IMO, are ideally matched, work well together, and have delivered an average of two points a game.
Indeed, I'd go as fas as to say the two of 'em were imperious over the turn of the year. What is more, the statistics seem to support this view – in the 11 games Deano and Dara lined up together at the hear of our defence between December 15 and February 23, we won seven and drew one, averaging two points a game [over the season we've averaged just 1.5 points per game].
Deano missed the three matches after the Crewe game on February 23 with injury and we proceeded to take just one point from the nine available. Reunited with Dara for the visit of Colchester on March 16 we won 3-0. That was followed by another win in our next game, at Notts County, when Dara was on international duty and Troy Brown proved an able deputy.
Plainly, the 4-1 defeat in our next game, at home to Mansfield, was a big disappointment and, I think it's fair to say, neither Deano or Dara were at their best. However. Mansfield are clearly one of the best sides in League Two and while that performance undoubtedly represented 'a bad day at the office' I'm not convinced there was any need for Matty T to read too much more into it and to break up what has, on balance, been such a successful partnership. Again, I'd suggest this is borne out by the stats – we've taken just four points from the four games that have followed conceding seven goals in the process; that's just one less than the eight goals we conceded in the 11 games Dara and Deano lined up together between December 15 and January 23.
Now I'm a big Troy Brown fan and I can kinda understand why, in light of the Mansfield defeat, the manager felt the need to change things; similarly, I recognise there are 'lies, damn lies, and statistics'. However, it seems clear to me that our best chance of a top-seven finish depends on Matty T seeing sense and restoring two centre-halves who, IMO, are ideally matched, work well together, and have delivered an average of two points a game.