Turning the ship around // Part 7: The creative void | PASOTI
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Turning the ship around // Part 7: The creative void

Jul 19, 2018
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argyle.life
Sorry for the external links but I just want to advertise a series of articles I am writing about Argyle's struggles this season for Argyle Life. They rely heavily on a lot of statistics that I produce myself and my observations on every match over the last two seasons, which I review in a lot of detail using iFollow.
Below are the first three, but four more will follow over the next two weeksā€‹ (hopefully).
I'd be really interested to hear feedback from anyone on the ideas and statistics presented, though I do have one request of anyone who comments: please read them first instead of assuming the argument! Oh, and if anyone would like to request any stats please do ask.
One final thing, there is no agenda against any player. I'm of the opinion that all players have their own strengths and weaknesses, which makes them more (or less) suited to different systems, and the sum of 11 players' strengths and weaknesses in one system is the greatest individual factor (albeit the sum of many different factors itself) in ultimately determining a team's performance. So, when I criticise Songo'o in part two, it's not because I think he's a bad player but because I believe that overall his strengths and weaknesses are detrimental to the team's best system.
Finally, you can listen to Green & White, the Argyle Life Podcast, from our website. We've just published the first one (08/11), and they should be available weekly on Thursdays or Fridays.
I doubt I'll ever post links on here again, only for this series, so anyone who might want to can obviously follow me on Twitter.
Happy reading!
 
Jan 11, 2016
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I am amazed that there have been relatively few views of this very informative posting and no replies until this one. I can only put this down to the very worrying implications of the analysis offered, worrying for the following reasons...
Either the management are not capable of operating on the analytical level of the post, or they fully understand the issues but cannot react appropriately -either way that's a state of affairs not designed to re-assure the Green Army. It may be of course that all this analytical approach is a smokescreen and that the fundamental problem is that the players are just not good enough - most players at Division 1 level are not going to be the finished article - they have strengths that need developing and weaknesses that need addressing and as a team the whole needs to be greater than the sum of the parts.
Those who know say that the Manager is giving it his all - at his best he's obviously a winner. It's not promising at the moment but things can change quickly and may already have done so in the last two matches. I think we'll know by the end of the month.
 

Forest of Dean Green

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Mar 5, 2009
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What an excellent read. It sort of tells us what we already know - the importance of Fox and Sarcevic - with some highly persuasive and intelligent analysis as well. Also, there are a few here who have been singing Songoā€™oā€™s praises. Isnā€™t that because in the defensive set up Adams has been playing where we have no control of the ball in the middle of the park, Songoā€™oā€™s strengths - strong tackling - are able to be displayed. That masks the disbenefits of playing him, no ball control, no ability to play through the thirds. which conversely creates the need for a strong tackler. Itā€™s therefore a false proposition to heap praise on him. Is that your Songoā€™o paradox? Fascinating reading. Keep it up!
 

Forest of Dean Green

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And Iā€™m assuming the professional who does the analysis for Argyle must also be seeing these patterns. If he is, whatbis driving the decisions by Adams? For Sarcevic, itā€™s injury. For Fox, has he had some problems with minor injuries we donā€™t know about? If not, his exclusion seems barmy. Iā€™d also be interested in any analysis of Sawyer before he got injured. He only had a couple of games but to me seemed to shore up the defence a bit and has a very strong positional sense. Why, when he played every game last year, did he drop him at the start of this season?
 
Apr 15, 2004
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That's a great read ........ quite proud of myself for saying some of that myself :cool: ...... someone post it to DA :whistle:

Please do continue to post Nick - compared to some of the stuff on here ..... nuff said
 

justanotherfan

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Mar 4, 2012
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It`s down to a defensive/negative mindset. What a fascinating read.
 
Feb 2, 2007
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Some great stuff but I think you've missed the key headline.

Ryan Taylor is not fit and firing.

As nice as Ladapo is as a "talent" his style does not suit out attacking midfielders in the same way a fit and firing Taylor does. We have not won many games without him since he signed nearly two years ago, I haven't counted them up but I know it's not many.

Get him back or someone such as Stockley able to do the target, shape and physical harassment of the oppo CDs and we would stand a chance again of getting the best out of our midfield. Until that happens we will be overly negative, defensive, waiting for the oppo to present us a gilt-edged chance a la Saturday or Bristol City.
 
Jan 30, 2016
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What an amazing analysis. I happen to think that Fox is the best defensive midfielder that we have had since I started to support back in 1972. I understand what you say about Songoo but I do like hime playing with Fox as a pair in front of the back four. This season he has put in some great performances and been awarded MOM by many Pasoti members.
Please continue with your work it is very interesting.
 

The Doctor

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Sep 15, 2003
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Really interesting. The only thing I would say, nothing something about statistical analysis is that some of the sample sizes (number of games played etc) are rather small and so I suspect that many of the claimed differences between different figures are probably not statistically significant. However, the logic always seems pretty sound to me and the stats are used to illustrate points rather than to blindly prove them.

Basically, as many of us have been saying for weeks, Adams needs to adopt a more positive/proactive approach to games and pick as many of the same front six as he did in the good patch last season.
 

dunlop

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