Hiram Boateng take a bow

[John William]

Picking statistics selectively is a mug's game; I know, I've tried it enough times. Football fans like us use statistics as a drunk uses a lamp-post, for support not illumination.

For instance, we didn't win a league game for two months (13th October - 15th December). This coincided with the opening of the new stand. But coincidence is not correlation, and correlation is not causation.

Equally, individual players don't make as much difference to team results as we like to think. I along with most supporters have tended to argue that the loss of Stockley has been crucial. Actually, when you look at the numbers, our points average since Stockley left is only fractionally worse (1.5 compared to 1.6 per game) and we are in exactly the same position in the table.

And we did better, on average, when Tillson was with us (13-8-8) than since he left (4-2-4), and Cheltenham's results are significantly better since he joined them (6-1-4) than before (8-8-13). Those of you who think Tillson is rubbish will of course dismiss that, and it in truth it may be just coincidence. But no more so than many of the other views that are bandied around.

 

[antman]

Facts are always useful in discussions.

Don't be bringing any of those on here. It's all about reacting to defeats by having someone to point the finger at, whether it be the manager or particular players. Tillson has gone and Matt Jay has shut people up so now we need to find someone new to be the cause of our problems when we lose. Pretty hard to single anyone out this season as weak overall if we're honest, everyone deserves their place in the team pretty much. There have been a few worrying days like yesterday when we just don't seem to show up though. I did wonder during the first half if a proper defensive midfield player would have made a difference but not sure it would have done given that individual errors from players like Law and Holmes that are normally our best were the reason why we never got hold of the game in possession. We have to face that if players like them, and Boateng in fact, were as good as their best days four matches out of five they wouldn't be playing at our level. On days like yesterday the team needs to focus simply on stopping the other team from playing better which is something that is achievable by everyone working hard to be in the right place. But there is no accounting for errors in possession that leave you exposed, there isn't much time to react. The Youtube highlights don't show Law giving it away for the first goal but it was one of several serious errors from him in the match.

 

[IndoMike]

Law was a lot worse than Boateng yesterday. He had a shocker. Nobody should be judged too harshly on what was a poor team performance.

Well, you've just judged Law pretty harshly..

 

[The Proper Chap]

Antman, my comments regarding Boateng are nothing new.

I simply don't think he is as good as many others appear to believe.

 

[Alwaysagrecian]

Collins does everything Taylor can but with far more finesse about him and, at home definitely, Taylor (team captain or not) would be the one to stand aside. Away from home I might be inclined to keep Taylor instead of Boateng for a bit solidity.

Are you for real- Taylor has been one of our best players the last 10 games. Collins is no where near the player Taylor is.
The young guys froze yesterday, it’s time for some experience now to get in the play offs.

 

[Snoop Fog]

Boateng was dog $h!t yesterday, looked disinterested. Generally though a good player for this level.

 

[SEA Grecian]

Are you for real- Taylor has been one of our best players the last 10 games. Collins is no where near the player Taylor is.
The young guys froze yesterday, it’s time for some experience now to get in the play offs.

Really, almost every one had a shocker yesterday but the two most disappointing performances yesterday were probably Law and Moxey. Both of them have class and experience yet inexplicably kept giving the ball to the opposition.

 

[antman]

Well, you've just judged Law pretty harshly..

I'm not saying he doesn't deserve his place in the team based on that performance, but I think if you read my post properly you know that anyway.

 

[Red Devon]

Law, Collins and Taylor give us the best balance and would be my midfield at the moment....Boateng is a quality player but isn’t quite up to speed yet after his long layoff.

 

[grecIAN Harris]

Are you for real- Taylor has been one of our best players the last 10 games. Collins is no where near the player Taylor is.
The young guys froze yesterday, it’s time for some experience now to get in the play offs.

Taylor has been poor most of the season. Even now his passing is still selling his team mates short because they don't have enough weight on them. As for the 'young guys' freezing, I think you might need to look at the most experienced part of our back four and our former centre half manager for not reacting for yesterdays debacle. As I said on the matchday thread, you would think between them that if the back four have had their collective arses skinned by the quickest strike force seen at The Park for many years that collectively between the three of them they would have the nouse to drop deep and deny the space that the Mansfield strikers were killing them in. But no, they continued to play a ridiculously high line and got to taken to the cleaners. And you're asking me if I'm for real??