68% possession according to the BBC

[IlsonDerby]

Martin had 4 clear chances. The cross from Baird that the defender got on the end of. Then the Ince pull back. He got his goal and then had a chance right at the end. Shots on target stats don't reflect how close you come to scoring. Out of those 4 Martin chances I listed, only 3 he managed an effort and only 2 were on target. One being the goal. Yet all 4 on another day could have easily been goals. 

I am sick of the Dawkins love in. People say we need him to keep possession. We clearly do not. Who should we drop to accommodate him? Hanson...He could have brought Dawkins on Yesterday and didn't. We are also in the market for another forward. It doesn't look like he thinks Dawkins is the answer. I can tell you this, Bennett got put back into the U21 side but is exactly what we needed to break through them yesterday. A direct physical player. 

https://twitter.com/champstat shows just how dominating we were. Charlton registered 45 clearances, 18 interceptions and 13 blocks yesterday - more defensive actions than any other Championship club #CAFC

 

 

If you think Martin's goal was a clear cut chance then you and I have very differing definitions. Martin's goal was a moment of brilliance to swivel with his back to goal and guide the ball into the bottom corner. Any chance where your back is to goal isn't 'clear cut'. 

Dawkins isn't just about keeping possession, he's intelligent. I wouldn't have taken Hanson off for him I'd have taken Hendrick off for him. Hendrick and Russell were the most disappointing performers yesterday.

[Ambitious]

Anyone seen Thorne's stats from the game? 

128 touches, 110 passes, with a 97.3% accuracy and nine shots. 

Baird made over 100 touches too, with a 92% pass accuracy. 

It was the first encouraging signs under Clement in the league, but it wasn't until the second half we started to see the tempo build up. The first half was still fairly downbeat. 

 

[Mr Tibbs]

Had 65% + possession against Cardiff at home last season, means nothing, only numbers that count is goals

In a dark-age way of looking at it, yes. You're right. The kind of mentality that has prohibited our nations footballing ability and style from improving and evolving for the past 20 years. 

 

[jackhasler23]

Yesterday we were a much improved team kept possession created chances and as clement said we will play worse and win. Hopefully we can get some luck against boro and get a win.

 

 

 

[Stimacked]

Maybe Russell was very well marked yesterday?

[cloughandtaylor]

 

27 shots, 14 corners, over 200 passes in the final third and 68% possession. That'll do me. Do that every week and you won't draw or lose many.

Just like yesterday......

[cloughandtaylor]

I think it was a much better overall performance than we had seen in the previous two games......

I also think PC really needs to keep the same team sheet  - especially the back 4, keep playing what he thinks is his best 11 together will benefit us each week.

Possession is all well and good as long as we do something with it and for me the only negative yesterday was the final cutting edge to putting the ball away, that was something we could do easily last season. 

Boro will be a much tougher test than Bolton and Charlton that is for sure, so if we can get that first win, it will breed confidence throughout the side........ 

WH out for 6 mths is bad, but we have to move on and now we are in for 2 new signings..........can only be a good thing!

[Alph]

Just like yesterday......

That's why I said you won't draw or lose many. 

Not any. 

IF you fancy dropping sarcastic remarks perhaps read the post you're replying to first

[eddie]

That's why I said you won't draw or lose many. 

Not any. 

IF you fancy dropping sarcastic remarks perhaps read the post you're replying to first

If he dropped the sarcastic remarks, he'd never post anything.

[cloughandtaylor]

That's why I said you won't draw or lose many. 

Not any. 

IF you fancy dropping sarcastic remarks perhaps read the post you're replying to first

If we don't improve again on Tuesday we will wait along time for that win, as I said earlier possession is great ....if there's an end product!

The final 1/3 is were I fail we are currently failing, playing the way we did yesterday, will not get us in the play offs let alone promotion, it was much, much better than the first two games, but we still have to improve.....

Tuesday is the test........I want us to move forward much more freely, I want to see many more diagonal runs being made by Russell, Ince and Weimann, we do have the gift to cause every team in the division problems, if we do better in the final 1/3.

[Alph]

If we don't improve again on Tuesday we will wait along time for that win, as I said earlier possession is great ....if there's an end product!

The final 1/3 is were I fail we are currently failing, playing the way we did yesterday, will not get us in the play offs let alone promotion, it was much, much better than the first two games, but we still have to improve.....

Tuesday is the test........I want us to move forward much more freely, I want to see many more diagonal runs being made by Russell, Ince and Weimann, we do have the gift to cause every team in the division problems, if we do better in the final 1/3.

If we have near on 70% of the ball and are having 27 shots and over 200 passes in the opponents 3rd and have 14 corners then we'll win a lot more than we lose.

Maybe you should give Charlton some credit for the last ditch defending. 

You want to see more diagonal runs? Where to? Where do diagonal runs fit in to breaking down a team that's defensive live is on the 18yrd box

I would say you're expectations are more suited to watching Chelsea and Co. But even they don't dominate many games with those stats.

Barcelona do. And they don't win every game either. Nobody does. Sometimes luck goes against you. 

You show me an unsuccessful team that dominates the ball like we did in our opponents half. You show me a team that has 27 shots and 14 corners on a regular basis and isn't successful.  

You won't find one. 

IF we play like yesterday regularly then we'll win more than we lose or draw. 

And you will still find something to moan about

[cloughandtaylor]

You seem satisfied with the performance, by the way you are using the possession stats.

Stats do not win games goals do!

Until we get the final 1/3 right we will not win games, YES, AGREED WE WON'T LOSE MANY EITHER.......

Yesterday game was an improvement .... but we still need to improve massively.

It would have been much better to say nearly 70% possession ......27 shots..... 12 on target and 3 scored. But that did not happen.

You might find that during that ropey spell from the Brum game onwards last season, most games we dominated possession, I dare say the stats will prove it -  yet how many games did we win until May.

Yes, Charlton set out to get a point, so will almost every team that visit, its down to us to break through their back line, otherwise we just end up doing long range efforts, we have to be better than that. Remember we did it very well as an attacking force until the injuries came in last season. We do need to improve going forward

[Rampage]

If possession is nine points of the Law, why did we only get one point? Be brief about your answer please.

[Mr Tibbs]

Good defending and poor finishing stopped us from taking all 3 IMO. 

Possession gave us control. Control where our CDM (that's 'defensive') was playing a lot  of his passes 30 yards from the oppo's goal. As said, if we can replicate that possession and control for most of our games this season we'll win lots of games. 

[jono]

We did very little wrong yesterday. The truth is that we only drew because Charlton got a lucky break with their goal ( and we will get some too on the law of averages ) and Charlton defended extremely well. 

We camped in their half, we passed the ball accurately and shot at goal a good number of times. How many blocked shots don't get counted by the statisticians ? We scuffed some, some missed some deflected away. A heleuva lot were blocked by good defenders. But we were shooting and getting in position to shoot.

i really think that instead of trying to decide what we did wrong we should just recognise that our opponents just about managed to stop the door falling of its hinges. On another day that game would have been 3-1 and on another day again they wouldn't have got a lucky goal would have been chasing the game and been whipped 5-0 because they wouldn't have had 9 men defending a 0-1 lead

it feels a whole lot better than after the Pompey game .. We need One good win, soon as poss, for the confidence boost and we will start flying. 

[gazram80]

All the possession was great of course but until charlton scored it was all pretty sideways and safe passing with no penetration. When we were behind the ball was moved quickly the full backs pushed forward and we looked like the team that got to Wembley and the top of the league. To get our first win on Tuesday we will need to play how we did in the last 35 mins not the first 55. Encouraging signs though but would like to see 2 up front at home 1 away from home.

[Alph]

I give up. 

We drew because we didn't create any easy chances by getting in behind the Charlton back line that was 10yrds from their goalkeeper. 

Disgusting really. That huge gap... should have been doing delicate chips into it for Martin to run into

Hopefully in the future we have less of the ball in their third, less shots and corners and give the ball away a bit easier. 

If you take away Weimann and Russell missing good chances, Hendrick having a shot cleared off the line and a 12 yard blast blockedp, a pull back for Martin that he put wide from 8yrds and Martin having a header tipped over the bar then we really struggled to create anything against 11 men stood blocking a goal. If you take away all that.

Some people can't see beyond the end of their nose. 

"The only stats that matter are goals" 

Brilliant. And how do you score goals on a consistent basis? How do you stop the other team scoring more?  

Would it increase the chances of this happening if we had the ball in the opponents half and had 27 shots, several from inside the area, 14 corners, 4 free kicks just outside the area? 

No, that's not the way to play. What you want is to 200 passes outside your own box and 27 shots on your own goal then when you get a chance to kick it at Keogh's foot you use it to loop the ball into the top corner. 

Those idiots at Barcelona with all their shooting and possession in the opponents half. lol. Idiots. Why don't they just score? Goals win games. Crazy Spanish bstards!

[jono]

Exactly Alpha .. Rub of the green and we would have won well .. Nothing to worry about, looking forward to Wednesday. Keep taking the tablets 

Taking tablets being a convenient phrase meaning carry on lads more of the same please .. No inference is given by management or spectators that performance enhancing substances play any part in our training regimen. Terms and conditions don't apply, no deposit required, by one get one free should not be turned in to an acronym except by those needing a sense of humour transplant. For and on behalf of Sue Grabbit and Run solicitors 

[IronRam 140.6]

A couple of cliché's to force feed into the thread....

1- "If the opponent doesn't have the ball they can't score"

2- "By defending well and keeping a clean sheet, you're guaranteed at least a point"

Flukey deflection aside. We cracked both of 'em yesterday, kudos to the midfield for point 1 and further kudos to the defence for point 2.

Our strongest area, attack, just needs to click, I can't see that "click" staying in hiding too much longer. It can't can it?

Attack attack attack is a very Victorian concept in the modern game. At least at the very top of the game. Eg Spanish, and Latin American styles. I for one believe we should go down that route albeit at the expense of some of the traditional "englishness" which, if we are being honest is being referee'd and 'simulationed' out of our game.

It's what the likes of Will Hughes, George Thorne and the new generation will Flourish under.

Yesterday, in my book was a good day at the office.

[BondJovi]

Look at the Swansea stats for their game against Newcastle. Very similar and all were delighted with a 2-0 win. Could so very easily have been our result. Reading so much tripe on here, so much inane negativity when there is no reason to be. Had we played like we did against Portsmouth then there may be a reason to have concerns, but no.

I look at it this way, third competitive game in for Clement, I reckon that is our best performance for a good six months. Promising signs I say.