the current style is closer to Dodds’ than Bloomfield’s. That’s objective fact whether you look at numbers or the games (or preferably both)
“we’ve got our [club name] back” - ancient belief held by fans of team on winning run
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Why didn’t we just keep Doddsy then?
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This is a funny take. Perhaps in data world you might see similarities but those with eyes know otherwise. And that’s coming from someone with a maths and stats background leading a data analysis team.
At times we were playing Taylor Allen as a left winger and Dan Harvie as an auxiliary left centre half in a back three. Westergaard in a 10 etc. we are miles apart.
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Sorry Oily old son, I love you dearly, but this Duff side are playing nothing like the Dodds team - even if some statistical matrix says otherwise.
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@oilysailor the current style is not closer to Dodds (from this season) than Bloomfield. I’m sorry but you are just plain wrong on that. How many Wycombe games do you actually watch? And I certainly don’t mean that in a disparaging way, as I know you are a journalist who watches a lot of other football. I’ve watched every minute of every game under all 3 of these managers. Duff’s style is very similar to Bloomfield in the sense of mixing it up. But different to both in not predominantly moving the ball through a single pivot, as both Bloomfield and Dodds did. Bloomfield had Potts and Morley which worked great. Dodds had Leahy who is not suited to that specific role, but persisted. Duff has recognised that limitation to Leahy’s game and Leahy is now playing much more effectively as a ‘normal’ deeper lying midfielder. If you have watched every minute of every game, fair enough, I apologise and let’s agree to disagree.
@RR23 I didn’t say it couldn’t work, I specifically said it could work in certain circumstances. But I did say it couldn’t work with the players we currently have in our squad - if you think our defenders and midfielders are good enough technically to play that game, you have a lot more faith in them than I do. Very good footballers, but not good enough to do that in League 1 - if we were in League 2 or National League, of course we could do it, but we’re not.
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think I’ve watched every game bar one this season and all but about two last season so it’s not guesswork. Note I’m not saying that Duff = Dodds, but neither does Duff = Bloomfield, which was the assertion made above. My argument would be that the tactical work done this summer is now having a positive outcome – something acknowledged by Duff on several occasions.
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But did you ACTUALLY watch or just look at the stats?! Your vague memory of each 90min game this year is a far more reliable indicator than factual data.
I’m no expert but, in terms of playing style, player attitudes, relateability to/ respect for the manager and, not least, results, it feels to me much more like Bloomfield’s last season than it does to the mercifully curtailed Dodds episode.
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it’s the results isn’t it
Sorry, have you finished?
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Is there a reason emerging from the stats for the difference in results under Dodds and Duff? Or is it just luck? It certainly doesn’t feel like luck.
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I watched the stats.
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Back in your chosen data world we’ve gone from being out-ratio’d in XG under Dodds at approximately 1:3 in first halves to reversing that to 3:1 in our favour in first halves under Duff in our last six league games. The only first half in that last six league games where we got outperformed in XG was against Lincoln when we finished the half 3-1 up in actual goals and the goal they scored was a penalty with XG of ~0.78 as you know. If we normalised for that penalty then, guess what, we also outperformed them on XG in the first half. Night and day. Data and through my own eyes. Goals and expected goals.
Gosh.
During some of the Dodds’ style performances earlier this season, I was actually considering cancelling my season ticket subscription and cherry-picking games to attend in the future.
It wasn’t the poor results that made me feel that way - I’ve happily endured dire seasons in the past and never considered not coming to games. In fact, a good old relegation scrap can be a lot of fun to watch.
It was boredom. Whatever the stats might say, I have never been so bored in my life watching Wycombe play football than I was under Mike Dodds.
But it’s clearly all subjective given the variety of views.
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I’m with the Sailor on this.
To me the styles of Duff and Dodds are very similar. Looking to control the game, passing through the thirds, quite dynamic formations where players should know their roles in different phases of play.
The big difference for me is that Duff is implementing it better, and everything is done at a much higher intensity than Dodds. The passing, pressing and attitude is just harder and more intense.
Oh, and a few wins certainly seems to help as well
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Misunderstanding Mike Dodds’ comments on A and B plans aside…I liked it when he said ‘We’re only losing by the odd goal…’
It was true…but did not entirely help.
That is not actually true.
But which part of the Bloomfield era, as the first part wasn’t very good and much more like the Dodds style.
Sorry, you’re correct of course. He said he wasn’t outcome focused.