Four statistics that I think are significant and I'm surprised no-one has mentioned

[Turkish]

Still waiting pal.

 

 

Waiting for what pal? Pretty obvious where the weaknesses in our side are. You don't need to have conducted extensive research of worry about what other clubs are doing to see it.

[Turkish]

Don't hold your breath....this is so typical of Turkish and others on here derailing decent threads. It's ruined what was an informative and entertaining site.

 

Your OP is an excellent one. For me the simple answer lies in the maturity of the squad in the Prem in relation to the type of football Mopo wants. Thats why this summer is critical to the development of the squad and the clubs on-going success. To really shift the balance in our favour we need to bring in a GK, CB, AM, ST all of which must be of better quality than the players we now have. Unfortunately, I do not believe we will see more than 1 new face. From what I've heard Osvaldo will be coming back with nowhere to go which will hardly help with the mentality of the team.

 

How have I derailed the thread? I've merely given my view on the stats, you're the one going on the offsive and attacking people.

[Charlie Wayman]

The OP's stats highlights what many must be feeling at the end of a season that seemed to promise much more than has been delivered. Something clearly is missing from our system of play and whilst it is extremely attractive and exciting in execution more often than not there is no end product delivered to justify it all. Domination on the scale we saw on Saturday is of scant consequence if a silly defensive error consigns us to yet another avoidable defeat.

 

It is difficult for supporters not to react to such outcomes with failing confidence as time wears on and already - as on Saturday - there were murmurings along the terraces of the almost inevitability that we would give away a silly goal and lose the match 1-0 as by half-time most had realised that we would never score against a packed 10 man defence using our intricate but sadly imperfect lock picking skills rather than head for the by-line and turn their defence.

 

Maybe we are just not good enough mentally or tactically to change our play to suit the circumstances which does seem rather odd after all these years together and the coaches have to pick that one up when it comes to responsibility.

 

Certainly we have progressed this year as our league position and points tally will attest but there is also an increasing sense that this team as it stands may have peaked and without the infusion of new match reading skills from some special talents this may be as good as it gets. Otherwise even with the hope that we retain all of our players over the summer, this team may struggle next season as our pattern of play is better understood and countered effectively by the other 19 clubs. If Cardiff can do it they all can do it, that's what worries.

[Chez]

Cardiff was only the 4th time we've lost to a team currently below us in the table, in 22 games.

 

 

Fans seem to crave consistency, well, you certainly don't get more consistent than that - beating the teams that are worse than us and lose to the ones that are better.

[Rasiak-9-]

For me, it isn't just our inability to hold on to a lead, but our inability to RETAKE the lead that frustrates the hell out of me.

 

Everyone concedes equalisers, but if and when City or Chelsea concede an equaliser at home to a mid-table team with even 20-30 mins to go, you praise the underdog, but just generally assume that the poor sods have equalised too early and City/Chelsea/whoever are now going to go back into attack-mode rather than defend-the-lead mode and effortlessly retake the lead before the game is up; prior to going back into their shell/scoring a third and putting the game beyond doubt as they see fit.

 

Granted we're not City or Chelsea and I don't expect us to do all of the above with anywhere near the same consistency, but bloody hell! Its been literally over a year since we've won a match having conceded an equaliser, and we've only re-taken a lead ONCE all season in any Premiership game regardless of the result!! (Davis' fluke at home to Stoke).

[max_saints]

in my opinion, it's largely to do with the mental weakness of a young team. you can see everytime we go behind or let in an equalizer the body language of the team very noticeably becomes negative. that and we don't have a leader to lead by example and get the team going again. for all his improvement this season, lallana still has the tendency to fade away in latter stages of games especially so when we're losing.

[whelk]

And now we have overtaken Swansea at top of possession stats

http://www.whoscored.com/Regions/252/Tournaments/2/Seasons/3853