Port Vale v Exeter City MDT March 20th 2018

[andrew p long]

The amazing thing is that we're 6th in the league but there seems to be little excitement.
Maybe Hants or Andrew Long or another of our statsmen know what the average home league gate is this season.

Jason has answered this, but an update on the stats I cite most often:-

1.When Troy Brown and JMT play together then for 18 months it has been automatic promotion form, but if one of them is missing then it is relegation scrap form . This has eased off in recent times; we've lost games when both have played but also,like last night, won with not just one missing,but both. Good news that we can win without JMT - the stats suggested that his absence would sink our promotion prospects.

2. When Kyle Edwards starts we do badly . The tally is now P8 W1 D2 L5, relegation form. And even the one win was Crewe Away. Kyle was withdrawn on 74 mins with score 0-0, City winning with two goals on 90+ minutes withKyle back on the bench. The stats suggest he is so much more effective as an impact sub against tiring defenders

 

[Oldsmobile-88]

JMT missing for the rest of the season is a massive loss.A exceptional player & defender.
Yes we ground out a good win last night against a struggling team with out him & the excellent Troy Brown,but we will come unstuck against some of the better teams in the division with those two not playing..

 

[Antony Moxey]

Luckily the league is average at best at times and we're one of the slightly better than average sides on our day hence our position

It’s not lucky, it’s the way it is. League Two has ALWAYS been average and will always BE average. That’s why it’s League Two. If the teams were that much better they’d be in League One, if they were that much worse they’d be in the Conference.

I know it’s stating the bleedin’ obvious but every season someone says we should be doing better because of the standard of the league. Well no. Sometimes there’s the odd exceptional team (like us in the Championship season), and sometimes there are the odd D&E standard made good sides, but by and large League Two is an average league and will continue to remain so for as long as it’s the fourth tier of English football.

 

[Egg]

Jason has answered this, but an update on the stats I cite most often:-

1.When Troy Brown and JMT play together then for 18 months it has been automatic promotion form, but if one of them is missing then it is relegation scrap form . This has eased off in recent times; we've lost games when both have played but also,like last night, won with not just one missing,but both. Good news that we can win without JMT - the stats suggested that his absence would sink our promotion prospects.

2. When Kyle Edwards starts we do badly . The tally is now P8 W1 D2 L5, relegation form. And even the one win was Crewe Away. Kyle was withdrawn on 74 mins with score 0-0, City winning with two goals on 90+ minutes withKyle back on the bench. The stats suggest he is so much more effective as an impact sub against tiring defenders

Your stats prompted me to do a bit of research of my own using the excellent player filter facility on www.soccerbase.com.

Our overall win percentage this season, across all competition, is 44 per cent of games [20 per cent draws, 36 per cent losses], but that increases to 48 per cent [22 per cent draws, 30 per cent losses] when JMT starts. It increases again to 53 per cent [16 per cent draws, 32 per cent losses] when both JMT and Troy Brown start.

Interestingly, we've won 52 per cent of our games and, strikingly, lost just 28 per cent of our games when the much maligned Jordan Tillson has been in the starting line-up.

And when the two Jordans have started we've won 60 per cent of our games and lost just 13 per cent. On that basis, if the two of 'em were to start every game we'd be pretty much guaranteed automatic promotion!

 

[Antony Moxey]

Good stats Egg, you should email Tis!

 

[grecian55]

I fail to understand the animosity shown towards Tillson ,every team has a player in the team who annoys the opposition ,breaks up their play ,takes a yellow card for the team when needed ,people need to ask them selves who would do the job if Jordan didn't ,can you name any takers for it ? ,Eggs statistics in Post 184 prove what a vital cog in the team he is .

 

[manc grecian]

He's not needed against the plop teams in the division who are happy to let us have the ball. Lots of teams have players who break up play or take a yellow but I've yet to see one who is so limited in possession.

 

[budegrecian]

I fail to understand the animosity shown towards Tillson ,every team has a player in the team who annoys the opposition ,breaks up their play ,takes a yellow card for the team when needed ,people need to ask them selves who would do the job if Jordan didn't ,can you name any takers for it ? ,Eggs statistics in Post 184 prove what a vital cog in the team he is .

I think I understand it. Don't agree with it as I don't think that there should be any animosity towards a City player who goes out there to do his best. He has, as Tis says, a specific skills set, which you have articulated. Unfortunately he has little to offer over and above this ; his passing, for example, is particularly poor, imo, which can be very frustrating at times. He is a useful player to bring in for specific games, but has played too often for a side with promotion ambitions, again imo.
In answer to your question, I believe that Jake Taylor could do this job, if played centrally, and he also has other attributes to his game which Jordan lacks.

 

[CREDYGRECIAN]

Away from home he will do a job for you in front of the back four but at home where you pay your money to be entertained or at least see a side going for broke he slows the game down.

No issue with him as think he's solid

 

[CREDYGRECIAN]

JMT missing for the rest of the season is a massive loss.A exceptional player & defender.
Yes we ground out a good win last night against a struggling team with out him & the excellent Troy Brown,but we will come unstuck against some of the better teams in the division with those two not playing..

Nailed on Olds - Swindon & Lincoln are decent sides at this level and you worry unless Troy returns on Saturday that we will ship a couple against each.