Mikele Leigertwood

[Hoop Blah]

Someone like Sigurdsson you mean?

[RoyalBlue]

According to my QPR supporting mate, Leigertwood is a player who very much divides supporters' opinion.

Great! McDermott seems keen to build up a team full of players who divide supporters' opinion!

So we take on a defensive midfielder and continue to ignore the fact that it is missed goalscoring opportunities which is costing us so many points!

Actually in recent games I'd say it was our crap defending that's cost us points.

Well said. Of course it is. After all we are top-scorers in the league over the last six games

And our crap defending had nothing to do with McDermott changing players and formation in a desperate attempt to start scoring more goals?!

Our sudden rich vein of goalscoring and our shambolic defensive record are very much linked because there is a common cause.

Take the Norwich game, for example, where an expert TV Pundit (Murty I believe!) pointed out how woeful the defending of Hunt was in the leadup to one of their goals but explained that was the price you paid for playing a centreforward on the left of midfield!

As for your stats on goals, you are being as selective with their use as our corrupt politicians! Pick a period of the last six games because that is the only time span during which we have been top scorers!
How about the last ten or last four games?

[brendywendy]

tbf, i think its pretty fair when assessing our goal scoring ability as a team to point out we are topscorers in the league in last 6 games.

[Snowball]

Someone like Sigurdsson you mean?

Definitely NOT Siggy. I don't remember Siggy putting his foot on the ball and slowing down the game.

[Snowball]

As for your stats on goals, you are being as selective with their use as our corrupt politicians! Pick a period of the last six games because that is the only time span during which we have been top scorers!
How about the last ten or last four games?

I picked six games because SOMEBODY ELSE POINTED THE FACT OUT.

I picked six games because I usually pick six games.

I pick six games because Statto picks six games and 8/10 of the sites I've quoted pick six games.

Short enough to be "recent form" long enough to be moderately stable and indicative.

With you lot, if I picked 8 you'd say "why not six?"

If I showed, 6, 8, 10, 12 you'd say "Why not odd numbers?"


If moaning minnies like you want to argue about what is a good measure and what's not, AGREE IT UP FRONT. Otherwise you might as well just shut it.


http://www.statto.com/football/stats/en ... table/full

[Hoop Blah]

Someone like Sigurdsson you mean?

Definitely NOT Siggy. I don't remember Siggy putting his foot on the ball and slowing down the game.

You're kidding me?

Sigurdsson's touch was so good he'd make bad balls good by being able to take them under control and keep the ball, make some room for himself and retain possession like nobody else in the side. Yes he used to look to create things and didn't always just stand on the ball and take the pressue off, but neither did Little or Kitson, he was certainly our outball and the one we'd turn to if we wanted to take some pressure off the back four.

Doyle was also good at it because he touch was so good. Unlike some other forwards we have he would keep the ball more often than not and a hopefully punt up the pitch wouldn't come back quite so often or as quickly as it does now.

[Snowball]

Is Reading's Attack Any Good?

Form Tables

Position 1 for Last 06 Games Top
Position 1 for Last 07 Games Joint Top
Position 5 for Last 08 Games
Position 5 for Last 09 Games
Position 6 for Last 10 Games Joint
Position 4 for Last 11 Games Joint
Position 6 for Last 12 Games
Position 7 for Last 18 Games Whole Season


So our WORST position in the whole of the season, once 6 games had been played is 7th in a league of 24.

Now bleat about "5 Games"

[Isaac Hunt]

Sigurdsson's touch was so good he'd make bad balls good by being able to take them under control and keep the ball, make some room for himself and retain possession like nobody else in the side.

I think you're letting a wee bit too much nostalgia (already) creep in here HB....

[Snowball]

Sigurdsson's touch was so good he'd make bad balls good by being able to take them under control and keep the ball, make some room for himself and retain possession like nobody else in the side.

I think you're letting a wee bit too much nostalgia (already) creep in here HB....

Siggurdson was so good, that in the four games he played this season, we scraped 1 win at Leicester (25%) and averaged 1.25 points per game.


Since then we have averaged 1.54 points per game (including our bad run followed by a series of draws) and won 38.5% of our games


.29 of a point not much? It equates to an extra 13.34 points over 46 games

[winchester_royal]

Sigurdsson's touch was so good he'd make bad balls good by being able to take them under control and keep the ball, make some room for himself and retain possession like nobody else in the side.

I think you're letting a wee bit too much nostalgia (already) creep in here HB....

Siggurdson was so good, that in the four games he played this season, we scraped 1 win at Leicester (25%) and averaged 1.25 points per game.


Since then we have averaged 1.54 points per game (including our bad run followed by a series of draws) and won 38.5% of our games


.29 of a point not much? It equates to an extra 13.34 points over 46 games

Not quite sure that using a sample of 4 games against 14 is a particularly fair comparison TBH.

[Hoop Blah]

Sigurdsson's touch was so good he'd make bad balls good by being able to take them under control and keep the ball, make some room for himself and retain possession like nobody else in the side.

I think you're letting a wee bit too much nostalgia (already) creep in here HB....

Who else in our side came close to him in terms of being able to get onto and holding the ball then?

Yes he would flit in and out of games, and certainly didn't bully the opposition or anything like that, but, much like Little, he would look after the ball if that was what was needed.

[Isaac Hunt]

Sigurdsson's touch was so good he'd make bad balls good by being able to take them under control and keep the ball, make some room for himself and retain possession like nobody else in the side.

I think you're letting a wee bit too much nostalgia (already) creep in here HB....

Who else in our side came close to him in terms of being able to get onto and holding the ball then?

Yes he would flit in and out of games, and certainly didn't bully the opposition or anything like that, but, much like Little, he would look after the ball if that was what was needed.

I should probably not have included "like nobody else in the side." from your quote. My point had nothing to do with comparing him to the current side (or that of last season), i just felt you were making him out to have the Midas touch "so good he'd make bad balls good". I agree the lad has talent - his finishing being his greatest - but the original point was about a player that could put his foot on the ball and slow things down. I wouldn't have ever associated Sig with that, as good as a player he is.

It wasn't meant to offend.

[Hoop Blah]

No offence taken, I just think you're missing something if you didn't see how Sigurdsson was capable of, and did, take the pressure off the defence by keeping the ball in a similar way that Little used to (maybe Little did more of it but that was more to do with our style of play then Sigurdssons relative ability).

[Snowball]

Not quite sure that using a sample of 4 games against 14 is a particularly fair comparison TBH.

Here are some direct comparisons



The first pairing is "all games" treating cup games as points-winners

P43 W17 D13 L13 74-56 1.49 Points per game All Gylfi's Starts
P30 W14 D08 L08 53-39 1.67 Points per Game All Games W/O Gylfi



The second pairing is League-Games Only

P36 W13 D11 L12 58-45 1.39 Points per Game All League Games Gylfi Starts
P26 W13 D06 L07 46-32 1.73 Points per Game All League Games W/O Gylfi <<<<<<



This pair is League Games Only multiplied up to a full 46-Game Season

P46 W17 D14 L15 74-56 (GD 18) = 65 Points All Gylfi League Starts
P46 W23 D11 L12 81-57 (GD 24) = 80 Points All League Starts W/O Gylfi

[Snowball]

I should probably not have included "like nobody else in the side." from your quote. My point had nothing to do with comparing him to the current side (or that of last season), i just felt you were making him out to have the Midas touch "so good he'd make bad balls good". I agree the lad has talent - his finishing being his greatest - but the original point was about a player that could put his foot on the ball and slow things down. I wouldn't have ever associated Sig with that, as good as a player he is.

Exactly. His style was NOT that of a slow, steady midfield thinker, or a player you coild ask to holf the ball for 15-30 seconds

Of course he was an excellent player. He was actually quite a POOR finisher. He just took an awful lot of shots to get his goals

143 Chances - 74 On Target - 69 Off Target - 22 Goals = 1 Goal every 6.5 Chances


Church, for example was 63 -30 -33 -12 = 1 Goal every 5.1 Chances,

Kebe was 51-30-21 for 12 Goals 1 Goal every 4.25 Chances

The much-maligned Shane Long was 44-24-20 for his 9 goals or 1 Goal every 4.8 Chances

[Wycombe Royal]

I should probably not have included "like nobody else in the side." from your quote. My point had nothing to do with comparing him to the current side (or that of last season), i just felt you were making him out to have the Midas touch "so good he'd make bad balls good". I agree the lad has talent - his finishing being his greatest - but the original point was about a player that could put his foot on the ball and slow things down. I wouldn't have ever associated Sig with that, as good as a player he is.

Exactly. His style was NOT that of a slow, steady midfield thinker, or a player you coild ask to holf the ball for 15-30 seconds

Of course he was an excellent player. He was actually quite a POOR finisher. He just took an awful lot of shots to get his goals

143 Chances - 74 On Target - 69 Off Target - 22 Goals = 1 Goal every 6.5 Chances


Church, for example was 63 -30 -33 -12 = 1 Goal every 5.1 Chances,

Kebe was 51-30-21 for 12 Goals 1 Goal every 4.25 Chances

The much-maligned Shane Long was 44-24-20 for his 9 goals or 1 Goal every 4.8 Chances

Please don't bring this up again, and change the word "chances" for "shots". The two are different and the stats you have presented there are for shots.

[Hoop Blah]

Exactly. His style was NOT that of a slow, steady midfield thinker, or a player you coild ask to holf the ball for 15-30 seconds

Disagree, he had the tools to do it, and did at times as far as I'm concerned, I just think we never really asked him to do it because it wasn't how we played or looked to (there weren't many times in his time with us we were looking to slow the game down and see out time or take the pressure off the back four - most of McDermotts time I think we've been chasing games and goals so the situation didn't demand it).

[From Despair To Where?]

Sad how a discussion about our latest loan signing descends into a stat attack regarding the relative merits of a player who left the club nigh on 3 months ago.

This forum is dying a number crunched death.

[winchester_royal]

Sad how a discussion about our latest loan signing descends into a stat attack regarding the relative merits of a player who left the club nigh on 3 months ago.

This forum is dying a number crunched death.

Indeed.

Certain removals of personnel need to be made.

[Snowball]

Exactly. His style was NOT that of a slow, steady midfield thinker, or a player you coild ask to holf the ball for 15-30 seconds

Disagree, he had the tools to do it, and did at times as far as I'm concerned, I just think we never really asked him to do it because it wasn't how we played or looked to (there weren't many times in his time with us we were looking to slow the game down and see out time or take the pressure off the back four - most of McDermotts time I think we've been chasing games and goals so the situation didn't demand it).

Which games did he do it in?

I can't remember any.

Or do you mean you THINK he could have done it but never actually DID?

Is this like Howard being a good free-kick taker even though he hasn't scored one in 5 seasons?