Canavan joins Bradford

[Tugboat]

Give me all the stats you want.

This guy was absolutely awful for us and I’m so glad we’ve robbed Bradford of some money.

Get rid of Wootton and even if we don’t sign replacements I’d say this has been a good transfer window.

Let’s get some good centre backs, build from the back and push on from now.

Yeah let’s just go to the ‘good defender’ shop and buy some decent CB’s with all our free money we have.

 

[earl grey]

Best centre back at the club, not difficult to be honest, but it’s probably a no brainer for him, move back home, a longer deal, DA maybe incoming to Bradford. Makes sense, now to shift a couple of the others out and upgrade ASAP.

Wil Aimson is clearly the best defender at the club.

Not from what I saw on Saturday...crazy bad

But to be fair that's the first game I've seen for ages...I may have got it wrong

 

[earl grey]

I would be very surprised, and disappointed, if RL hasn’t already got at least one experienced, well organised centre back lined up as a replacement for Canavan.

That's the way I see it too. I don't think Lowe would have let him go unless there was a replacement lined up. We shall see in the next couple of days.

I think this thread just goes to show how poor our defenders have been this season that the fanbase is split many ways as to who is our best (least worst) defender is.

Someone in the Elliott Ward type mould when Pulis got him in on loan would be a good start.

I know it was a very brief spell, but I still rate Ward as the best defensive player I’ve ever seen play for us.

He was a delight to watch. Makes it into my faves team. Quality player back then.

 

[AlanMS]

Well I liked him! i hope he goes on to have a successful career at Bradford. Perhaps we could get the Huddersfield C/H from last week. Thought he was good and not at fault for the Argyle goals.

Good luck Niall.

 

[philevs]

(And yes, I did get drawn into commenting again after saying "no further comment"

I'm not saying he's anywhere near as good as Bradley, or Vyner. But selling the best centre back we have (unless, as I said, it was for personal reasons) is just unfathomable. He's probably the only L1 standard centre back we have.

Not unfathomable for me, if a player really wants to leave (and it’s understandable why Canavan does, given he’s going to his home town club) then there’s not that much anyone can do about it.
It sounds like we got a fee for him because RL played it well and said he was still wanted here.
Feel sure we will get a good replacement.

 

[Green Painter]

Of the 5 defenders that Adams signed that season he was definitely the most consistent, P Grant wasn't given much of a chance tbf. We've upgraded since, I believe Aimson is good enough so a 'beast' at the back who can play a bit would do nicely. Let's hope Lowe has one lined up. Good luck to big Niall. Onwards and upwards

 

[Carlo]

Give me all the stats you want.

This guy was absolutely awful for us and I’m so glad we’ve robbed Bradford of some money.

Get rid of Wootton and even if we don’t sign replacements I’d say this has been a good transfer window.

Let’s get some good centre backs, build from the back and push on from now.

Yeah let’s just go to the ‘good defender’ shop and buy some decent CB’s with all our free money we have.

Canavan was absolutely turd. We’re much better off without him as things stand, one less poor defender to play

 

[Lesmin]

All the best for the future Naill thanks for very thing

 

[Green guile]

Adam Thompson?

 

[WoodsyGreen]

Adam Thompson?

Good shout, though I don't think he's played a single minute of first-team football this season.

 

[briangreen]

He’s shown this season he is barely League One standard on a good day, and is absolutely not on a bad day. Turning down a fee for him would’ve been madness.

Having said that, our other central defenders are bad.

I think the quality of this decision rests purely on how well the replacement does.

But getting a fee for a guy who 100% would leave for free in June seems like smart business to me.

I wouldn't say they're bad, but certainly inconsistent.

 

[briangreen]

Best centre back at the club, not difficult to be honest, but it’s probably a no brainer for him, move back home, a longer deal, DA maybe incoming to Bradford. Makes sense, now to shift a couple of the others out and upgrade ASAP.

Wil Aimson is clearly the best defender at the club.

Not from what I saw on Saturday...crazy bad

But to be fair that's the first game I've seen for ages...I may have got it wrong

Aimson is a good player, but alongside league 2 standard defenders and an inconsistent defensive midfielder has been made to look bad on occasion. Cooper has suffered from that same lack of support and cover.

 

[Dan Ellard]

Just to update a stat from a few weeks ago.

Goals conceded per 90 mins when playing at centre back this season:

Canavan 1.42
Watts 1.69
Aimson 1.72
Wootton 1.72
Opoku 1.82

Criminally, criminally underrated centre back. No further comment.

I probably agree that Canavan is (was) one of our best three defenders, but your stats don't control for multiple variable factors.

For example, 7 of the 10 league games Opoku has started came against teams currently in the top half of the table. For Canavan, the figure is 4 out of 10.

Opoku has started 4 league home games and 6 away, Canavan 7 home and 3 away.

When you attempt to control for difficulty of games in order to make the comparison fairer, we actually concede fewer with Opoku in the side.

In league away games, it's 1.9 goals conceded per 90 minutes with Opoku vs 2.1 with Canavan and for games against current top half teams it's 1.7 Opoku vs 2.2 Canavan.

(I don't think my stats prove a great deal either - other than that football isn't a precise science and it's usually worth looking under the bonnet of any statistic.)

These are good points and difficult to refute. All I would mention is: one of the Opoku appearances you refer to (Hull away), he played left wing back, not centre back. Not that his contribution doesn't matter at LWB of course, but for the purpose of comparing the 2 at centre back I have excluded it. I am also inclined to exclude the first 45 minutes of Crewe away where we played that horrific 4 at the back system rather than our normal back 3 - leading to the worst 45 minutes of our season.

So for games where they've played centre back in our normal back 3 system, for away games its 1.8 for Canavan vs 2.2 for Opoku, and for vs top half it's 2.0 for both of them.

However, I can't dispute that, as you say, Canavan has generally speaking come up against weaker opposition. I'll admit that how we would have fared had one or the other played all season is less cut and dry than my first statistic suggests.

 

[Green guile]

Adam Thompson?

Good shout, though I don't think he's played a single minute of first-team football this season.

Too good to be sat on the bench. Played very well in League 1. Not sure why he has been out of favour this season. Lots of friends at Argyle. Time will tell.

 

[Leo's Grandad]

Would like a Russell Coughlin in midfield but would prefer a Graham Coughlan at the back tbh!

Too true Mr. Pogleswoody.