Cheeky bar-steward (Cov fan article)

[jaffa1]

[h=3]Q How concerning have their last couple of results been? The defeat at Southend seemed particularly surprising.[/h] When looking at our last 10 league fixtures, we lie 18th in the form table. That speaks for itself and if we don't get back to winning ways soon, the play-offs will begin to look less certain.
At Southend last weekend we were poor. With Adam Armstrong, Jacob Murphy and John Fleck all missing, we lacked creativity in the final third and despite having 62 per cent possession we never looked like scoring.
We got bullied by a characteristically-physical Phil Brown side who were deserved winners on the day.


[h=3]Q That list of signings includes Joe Cole. Has the former England man lived up to the hype that followed his arrival?[/h] The initial signing of Joe Cole certainly caught many fans by surprise but the fact he has signed permanently shows we must be doing something right.
That piece of business sums up, for me, the Tony Mowbray effect. Who else would get such a high calibre of player to drop to League One level?
In regards to the ex-England international's contribution thus far, he is just getting up to full fitness and you can clearly see flashes of brilliance when he graces the turf.
Off the pitch he seems like a top bloke too, and the rest of the squad will learn an awful lot from him. Regardless of what he achieves with us I have the utmost respect for him. He doesn't have to travel to places like Southend and play football, but he just loves the game.

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

I absolutely hate the possession stat with a passion, it means sod all. You could have all that possession on the edge of your own box

If you want a fairer reflection look at the shots on target stats.

Also if Joe Cole was a horse he'd have been put down by now, he is done. His dead ball deliveries were a disgrace and that was always his 'thing'!

 

[tottenham541]

I absolutely hate the possession stat with a passion, it means sod all. You could have all that possession on the edge of your own box

If you want a fairer reflection look at the shots on target stats.

Also if Joe Cole was a horse he'd have been put down by now, he is done.

joe cole did the simple thing a lot of the time, just passed the simple ball and brought others into the game, as for I think Coventry are expecting him to turn games around on his own and get them out of the league is another thing, don't think he has it in the tank anymore.

 

[IloveShrimp]

I was really disappointed in Joe Cole tbh.

 

[ChalkwellShrimper]

I absolutely hate the possession stat with a passion, it means sod all. You could have all that possession on the edge of your own box

Agree, it's a far too simplistic, one dimensional measure. Perhaps possession in first (defending) 3rd, middle 3rd and final 3rd would be more useful to compare and contrast.

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

Agree, it's a far too simplistic, one dimensional measure. Perhaps possession in first (defending) 3rd, middle 3rd and final 3rd would be more useful to compare and contrast.

Yes, a graphic needs to be shown of where the possession was on the pitch but to just boast we had x amount of possession means very little

 

[RHB]

Probably the only stats which have any real merit are that Coventry got dicked 3-0 by a side which only had 10 men for 39 minutes. There you go, 3, 10, and 39, decisive numbers!

 

[Napster]

I absolutely hate the possession stat with a passion, it means sod all!

There was an article on this last year.

http://www.theguardian.com/football...is-van-gaal-manchester-united-jonathan-wilson

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

Agree, it's a far too simplistic, one dimensional measure. Perhaps possession in first (defending) 3rd, middle 3rd and final 3rd would be more useful to compare and contrast.

Personally I don't think there is a need for all these statistics at all. They seem to be there so that arm-chair pundits can "add weight" to their point of view .......... whilst another then uses another statistic to prove the opposite ....... there really is no substitute for just being at a game and watching I'm afraid.


On a slightly different tack, I think the 3-5-2 formation is also about letting the opposition have possession in their own half and then providing a difficult barrier to get past. Another reason for not bothering with these figures.

 

[stickyboy]

I absolutely hate the possession stat with a passion, it means sod all. You could have all that possession on the edge of your own box

Agree 100%, its a total waste. In all fairness the only stat that actually means anything is the goal scored one

 

[RobM]

"Agree 100%, its a total waste. In all fairness the only stat that actually means anything is the goal scored one."

In official speak, "The Laws Of The Game" states; "The team that scores most goals shall win".

 

[Swiss Tony]

"places like Southend",your in the same league as us and rent a stadium,whether it be at the Ricoh or Six fields,get over yourselfs.:facepalm:

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I absolutely hate the possession stat with a passion, it means sod all. You could have all that possession on the edge of your own box

If you want a fairer reflection look at the shots on target stats.

I'm not sure how they calculate the possession stats but I don't trust them to be accurate anyway.

Shots on target are just as bad as they don't distinguish between the powderpuff shot from 35 yards straight at the keeper that may as well be a backpass and say a shot that's tipped onto a post.

I'd be far more interested in a stat showing shots from inside the penalty area (whether they are on target or not).

 

[Rob1920]

"places like Southend",your in the same league as us and rent a stadium,whether it be at the Ricoh or Six fields,get over yourselfs.:facepalm:

I don't recall Coventry being somewhere I'd rush back to in any capacity. Only memorable thing to come out of that place were some truly awful cars. Some people really are deluded when it comes to how great their home town is. Scousers are even worse..

 

[AndyT]

We are always treated like this, though.

I remember we had a run where we beat a side and they would immediately sack their manager. Like a sort of "If you lose at Southend then you aren't up to the job" type scenario.

Recall Simon Grayson, when he was manager at Leeds and we drew 0-0 here with them. The match Lee Barnard missed a penalty in.

The post match interview went something like "Well, playing teams like us, lowly clubs like Southend will always raise their game. It's like a cup final to them"!

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

Above. I don't mind that - the opposition (or at least their manager) thinking they can come and win. In a strange way, I think it gives us a psychological advantage.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

"places like Southend",your in the same league as us and rent a stadium,whether it be at the Ricoh or Six fields,get over yourselfs.:facepalm:

Presume he's never been to Fleetwood?.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

We are always treated like this, though.

Recall Simon Grayson, when he was manager at Leeds and we drew 0-0 here with them. The match Lee Barnard missed a penalty in.

The post match interview went something like "Well, playing teams like us, lowly clubs like Southend will always raise their game. It's like a cup final to them"!

'Mighty Leeds', who scored 1 goal in 4 league games here!.

 

[RobB11]

I don't recall Coventry being somewhere I'd rush back to in any capacity. Only memorable thing to come out of that place were some truly awful cars. Some people really are deluded when it comes to how great their home town is. Scousers are even worse..

The Specials? Pretty great to be fair. But, I agree, granted Central Southend and the areas surrounding roots hall are dated and a bit glum but the surrounding areas really are cracking. South / South east essex as a whole is probably one of the most affluent areas in the country. But of course they only base their opinions on the seafront (tacky and past it's sell by date) and our stadium / it's surrounding areas.

 

[Leoblue]

The Specials? Pretty great to be fair. But, I agree, granted Central Southend and the areas surrounding roots hall are dated and a bit glum but the surrounding areas really are cracking. South / South east essex as a whole is probably one of the most affluent areas in the country. But of course they only base their opinions on the seafront (tacky and past it's sell by date) and our stadium / it's surrounding areas.

Yes, central Southend is a bit grim and so is the area around Roots Hall. But the away fans come down and stay in the centre of Southend so don't adventure out too Thorpe Bay, Chalkwell, Leigh and Benfleet eg where you'd be lucky to buy a 3 bed house for less than 450k. Or if you want to go a bit more up market there's always penthouse apartments for 750k - 1 mill.

Away supporters have always been quick to put Southend down but you can't blame them because they stay around Roots Hall.

I know a lot of people from London who have either moved to the area or would really love too.