King Crimson wrote:Magic Man Fan wrote:BathSaddler wrote:The fact that we have scored only three goals in the last six games without any input from midfield and upfront tells its own story :cry: .
0-1.
You're wrong bath. It's all about us weakening the defence...apparently.Canuck on the 'Isn't it Funny?' thread wrote:We've allowed 80 shots in the last 7 games (41 in the last 3 - ouch). Would that have happened had Fox and Dann stayed? Of course the answer is that we'll never know, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that the number would have been significantly less had they stayed. Our defence was our strength. Our only strength, one could say.
Prior to the F&D sale we had 15 clean sheets in the previous 27 games (55.5%)
Since F&D left we've had 3 clean sheets in 11 games (27.2%)
I agree we're poor up front, but times were that we had every chance of a point even if we didn't score. Now, we basically need at least one goal to get anything from the game. It makes a big difference.
EDIT: So a 'rough and ready' calculation is that we would have achieved three more clean sheets with F and D (at around 55% of games) had they stayed. Even if we hadn't scored, that's an extra three points on where we are now. That would put is a better postion.
All statistical mumbo-jumbo, I know - but it is a hypothesis that has some credence, in my view.
Of course it does. But the point remains, missing chances has cost us as much, if not more than the defence which everyone wants to blame because that relates to selling players and they can then blame the club.
The poor form was started when Ricketts stopped playing before Fox and Dann were sold.
Even if you consider the defence needed strengthening, can you explain why DD didn't do that but instead bought in Betsy and Moore who had been outed by fans of all their previous clubs as lasty wasters but without the class and goalscoring or creativity of Ricketts. Unless I'm much mistaken I think the fans of previous clubs were right. As I've said all along we bought in players we didn't need.
One decent centre half but most importantly one decent striker could have been bought in for the money we've spent on the other wasters. That's Money's decision completely.