Possession.

[west stand oap]

Todays results show possession means very little, Man City had 78.3% and Notts County 73.2% and they couldn't muster a goal between them.

[Larry]

Todays results show possession means very little, Man City had 78.3% and Notts County 73.2% and they couldn't muster a goal between them.

I would suggest one game shows little. It takes a season of games for the better sides to percolate to the top - or sink to the bottom.
How many other games can you win by scoring one?

[west stand oap]

This happens frequently.

[Larry]

This happens frequently.

I mean how many other sports can you win by scoring one?
This is different to being first in a race. There are many opportunities to score in a game and the low score means the opponent is still in the game even though they have been overall the lesser side

[Tabasco Kid]

I mean how many other sports can you win by scoring one?
This is different to being first in a race. There are many opportunities to score in a game and the low score means the opponent is still in the game even though they have been overall the lesser side

That depends on the scoring system being used. A single try in rugby is worth three points.

[Omega]

I suspect if you look at the stats of Ian Atkins promotion winning side we were behind on procession for the majority of games and might have been the same for Calderwood - both had a philosophy of defend in depth, don’t concede and nick a goal - doesn’t make for a great watch but can be effective

[Michael Walker]

I suspect if you look at the stats of Ian Atkins promotion winning side we were behind on procession for the majority of games and might have been the same for Calderwood - both had a philosophy of defend in depth, don’t concede and nick a goal - doesn’t make for a great watch but can be effective

When Leicester won the premiership their possession was 42%. Man City averages about 62%...

I think stats are greatly over rated as a metric to measure performance  - I wish Cloughie was here to comment on them...

I'm not even convinced that the highest wages bill would correlate to performance as closely as it seems to, if teams and managers didn't subconsciously accept it before the season/match started.

This season Wycombe and our own wage bill is reported to be similar but the performance is widely different.

I think, and I know this is a controversial view, that managers, players and supporters need to get away from saying 'we've only got a budget that puts us in the bottom 5 clubs of the league' blah blah.

It creates an excuses culture, the same as injuries. I like Ange P but I'd have sacked him by now for carrying on about injuries. It's a self fulfilling prophecy.

If I was chairman of any club for a day, I'd ban all talk of wages and injuries..

[guest3732]

When Leicester won the premiership their possession was 42%. Man City averages about 62%...

I think stats are greatly over rated as a metric to measure performance  - I wish Cloughie was here to comment on them...

I'm not even convinced that the highest wages bill would correlate to performance as closely as it seems to, if teams and managers didn't subconsciously accept it before the season/match started.

This season Wycombe and our own wage bill is reported to be similar but the performance is widely different.

I think, and I know this is a controversial view, that managers, players and supporters need to get away from saying 'we've only got a budget that puts us in the bottom 5 clubs of the league' blah blah.

It creates an excuses culture, the same as injuries. I like Ange P but I'd have sacked him by now for carrying on about injuries. It's a self fulfilling prophecy.

If I was chairman of any club for a day, I'd ban all talk of wages and injuries..

Typical politician, trying to dictate the narrative 😉

[Terryfenwickatemyhamster]

If I was chairman of any club for a day, I'd ban all talk of wages and injuries..

That would be like banning talk of the owners and redevelopment on here.. 😀

[Michael Walker]

Typical politician, trying to dictate the narrative 😉

I'm beginning to have my suspicions about you..

[guest3732]

I'm beginning to have my suspicions about you..

Bovvered?   

[SC Cobbler]

When Leicester won the premiership their possession was 42%. Man City averages about 62%...

I think I saw a stat showing 2 teams have finished in the prem top 4 with a sub-50% possession stat ever (Everton and Leicester). You'll always have examples of low possession teams winning one off games, but you absolutely can't say it proves possession is meaningless.

[west stand oap]

And again tonight, Man Utd 73% possession lose.

[DavCobb]

Man Utd

This is the only stat needed....

Possession is a meaningful stat but it's what you do with the ball when you have it is the most important one. i.e. ultimately only goals really matter.

There will be the stat out there that if you pooled all the teams together, that having more possession leads to higher success. Along with an intangible stat that the fans following teams who have more possession generally enjoy watching football more. I think you'd have to be a sadist to enjoy watching your team chase around the opposition for most of the game.

What you see with teams having less possession, are those setting up defensively who are good on the break (e.g. the FA cup final), or sometimes teams just get a bit lucky. Normally away teams. How often do you a team having 3 or 4 shots and winning, against a team who has had 20+?! All the time. However, it will be more likely for the game to end 0 v 4.

[BackOfTheNet]

Even going back to the Atkins era, he was quite happy to let the other team play the ball around in defence and midfield, but get anywhere near our goal with it and you'd be clattered and the ball hoofed upfield to our attackers to chase. If you have the right personnel, while it isn't good to watch, it can be very effective.

[west stand oap]

Today Orient had 62.5% possession with 1 shot on target.