They don’t mean anything in isolation. No stat does. 100 shots from Van Sas from the edge of his penalty area is not worth 1 shot six yards out having rounded the goalkeeper.
Looking at the stats in isolation to make out our football hasn’t been dull and disastrous since Dodds took over (although, it’s improving this season without doubt) is just bizarre. We all have eyes. We can see there’s been a massive regression since he took over.
The heatmaps show that our players played on average about 10 yards deeper last season under him, leaving Kone totally isolated. It’s no wonder our goals dried up.
I’m hopeful he can instill his way of playing into us this year and that he’ll be a success. But, that doesn’t mean that I can’t remember just how dull, shite and ineffective we were under him last season.
I never said we were anywhere near Charlton in the league match - I commented on the playoffs. Charlton in the league is the only game where we were taken apart by another team. Apart from that, I’ll stand by what I said ‘I don’t think there was much in it in any of the other games’. I’m not saying we were as good as before MD arrived but I do think he was unlucky not to get us over the line and with a bit more fortune with injuries etc. he may have done. My point originally was that he may still be the person to take us forward and ‘more strongly rated coaches’ such as Schumacher and Bloomfield have done no better in the same period of time. We’ve had success with both our previous two managers by getting behind them despite both having a terrible first twelve months. MD just needs time and I feel he’s been unfairly criticised. Negativity breeds negativity - get behind him.
He’s had criticism. Not particularly unfairly in my opinion. If he gets us relegated will people who said we’d get promoted be reaching for xg and evidence that other managers have also been relegated in his defence?
He’ll get the support he needs from everyone in the stadium as long as we are trying hard and improving. Results not posts will carry him off if not.
So, in your eyes he has basically no control over what happens and it’s all luck? The fact he switched to a back 5 and told our players to play ten yards deeper so we had no attacking threat and relied on set pieces is just coincidental.
We were taken apart by Stockport and Charlton in the league. We were very lucky to get some of the wins that we did as we relied entirely on very tall players at set pieces.
He’s also not in the same position as either of our previous two managers.
One had no money whatsoever, but his contacts and ability to forge unbelievable team spirit by playing the underdog. The football was often pretty horrible to watch but was successful and understandable given our resources.
The other tried to implement a quick passing game with the same squad set up to play direct football. It was a massive change in style and mindset so had time to get his players in and implement that on a limited budget, which he did magnificently.
I hope Dodds does well and want him to succeed, but just ignoring reality and comparing apples with oranges doesn’t help his case.
I don’t think I ever said it was all luck…but if it makes you feel good to interpret it that way you can if you like.
Against Stockport last season, we missed a penalty when we were 1 - 0 up, had more shots on target, more touches inside their box etc. so hardly taken apart.
Ainsworth had a terrible first season and openly admitted that, he then had to change his whole approach - fortunately for him (and us as a club) he was given time to do this.
Matt Bloomfield also took a team in the playoffs with the best form in the league out of the playoffs. He then tried to instil his style of play and it didn’t work. Having been afforded the time, he then got it right and was brilliant last year.
If Low had not headed over the bar whan it was easier to score after the heart attack delay we woulld have won that . We certainly had more of the chances as you say .
Very well said and very true on all points . On Ainsworth , he got us relegated in his first season and then almost took us out of the football league in the next one. Sure the last game at Torquay was magnificent but it took snookers and the gods smiling on us that day to keep us up . Like you say he had to change and become “gaffer” rather than “Gaz” ( his words at the time ) . He also went through several extended runs without a win whilst serving up some bloody awful football . If was not all sunshine and Roses.
Agreed. Trying to compare the financial state and squad that Ainsworth inherited (both possibly our worst of all time) with Dodds (best of all time) is a non-starter.
Thats not pissing on his achievements . Its shining a light on the early years of our second best ever manager. It was said in the context that 90% of people are not giving Dodds any sort of slack and were on his back after the first pre season friendly . Some of the football under Ainsworth was uttely dire . Why pretend it was not ?
It’s hardly a tribute and it isn’t correct, he had a load of smug twats who thought they were better than they were and were careering out of the league, with a bit of luck and some installed belief he a) kept them up b) swapped them out and took us to a play off final in his first full season having signed people like Jacobson and setting us up for a brilliant decade that included the championship. That’s his early years for you. It’s not winning every game but it’s brilliant.
And those who doubted Dodds in pre season after 6 months not two games have since seen zero league wins from 3.
I will sully who I like . It appears to be the norm on here . Ainsworth’s football was dross for long periods and resulted in some of the lowest attendences since we entred the league . I knew neutrals who would not come back after experiencing just one game of it .There were several occasions when should and probably would have been sacked over the years . He came good in the end but it was by chance rather than design as he had become unsackable due to not being able to pay him off . We could not afford to sack him and he held all of the cards . No other clubs came in for him because of his style .Sunderland interviewed him but thought better. QPR eventually did but got rid because the QPR fans could not take to his hoofball . Since then he has had a job at a relegation threatened league 1 side and now is the manager of a league 2 side . I can’t see many top end league 1 sides / Championship sides vying for his services can you ?
You are an absolute hypocrite. You get into a paddy when any poster criticises Rice or Dodds, but then you do the same thing to the best manager we’ve ever had (excluding perhaps MoN). Without Gareth we would probably now be a non league club. He is 10 times the manager (Coach) that Dodds will ever be.
Did I miss Gareth Ainsworth being sanctified? It’s perfectly possible to acknowledge all the good he did - keeping us in the league, getting us to the Championship, imposing his own particular vibe on the whole club - while acknowledging that opinions differed at the time about the beauty of the football he served up. Some like it agricultural, some do not. I’m in the latter camp. I sure prefer what Dodds is looking to achieve and Bloomfield did. I just don’t believe Dodds will get us to his own personal Valhalla, no matter how much time or how great the resource he has bestowed on him.