There are some concerning statistics in the chron
1. We have the 4th lowest possession % in the division
2. We are 2nd lowest on passes completed
3. No team in the division have had more shots against them
4. Along with Oldham we have the most yellow cards. The number of stupid and avoidable yellow cards has been a concern for some time.
It would be unfair not to mention the statistics at the higher level
5. Only 2 sides have scored more goals from set pieces
6. Charlie Goode has more blocks and clearances than any other player in the division
1. For context: Cobblers possession stat is 47%. For the 10 teams immediately above in the table there is only 1-2% difference in possession, these are negligible amounts. There are only 5 teams in the division who have over 50%. One of these 5 are Plymouth who are known for being a possession heavy side, and theirs is 54%. Top placed Exeter average 50% possession, while 6th place Newport have the worst stat with 45%.
2. Cobblers pass completion is 62%, the second lowest in the division. The lowest pass rate pass completion rate belongs to Newport with 60%. The third lowest rate belongs to Exeter with 63.6%.
3. We have had the second most attempt made on our goal, but are 12th in the able for shots on target against us with 43. For context, the side in 5th place have had 38 shots on target against them, a negligible difference.
4. I agree we are picking up too many silly yellow cards, hopefully our record here can improve. It's worth remembering though that we picked up 6 of these from the card happy Mr Breakspear, who has only managed 3 games in the division so far and has the worst card to game ratio of League 2 refs so far. Perhaps this has skewed the stats a bit against us? We have had 149 fouls given against us in total, the 7th worst record in the league. For context, the 15th worst record is only 10 less than us at 139, so again we are talking about relatively negligible differences.
A few more 'favourable' stats:
1. We have had the joint 7th highest number of attempts on target with 50. Crewe have made the most with 65, while second place Plymouth have only made 6 more than us with 56.
2. Cobblers are joint 15th in the 'Long Ball Per Game' stat, so it would seem our play is less 'direct' than the majority of teams in the division.
3. Despite missing some key players through injury, we are on a run of just 2 losses in 8 and are sitting only 7 points off top spot!
I think the last one is the most important at the moment!