Soares and VVD in Guardian team of the season

Soares isn't even in our team of the season.

Must be due to not playing many games and getting good stats in the games he did play. Reading the article there's a lot of "per game" in his stats, and those numbers will be higher if you play fewer games, although obviously he reached the minimum of 20. Weird though.

It's really hard to give that any credit when Soares is in it.

TBH I never thought Cedric was as bad as some on here seemed to think. Going forward I thought he was decent defensively a little light weight. Having said that I think there has to be something going on, behind the scenes between him and Koeman, considering how little game time he has seen in the tail end of the season.

Does anybody take WhoScored stats seriously?

Cedric is alright, got better as the season went on - but to be fair to Martina he's come in and held his own, doesn't look out of place at all. I'd say he's shown himself to be more reliable tactically, although he does have his limitations and doesn't have the technical qualities of Cedric.

Does anybody take WhoScored stats seriously?

No.

The point for me when they became absolutely laughable was when they gave James Milner man of the match against Borussia Dortmund, when pretty much his only contribution to the whole game had been to hit Shinji Kagawa's forehead with 12 corners. Stats-based analysis is fine up to a point, but this sort of thing is why there still needs to be humans interpreting the numbers, because context is everything.

Especially with Gomes in goal...

Jeez....you lot are a bunch of old women. Most successful season for years and now Long and Tadic are no longer the whipping boys you have to find some other scapegoat. Soares did OK: good in some games, bad in others (like every other player) and will no doubt improve in his second year. A good buy and plenty of promise for the future.

Thank god this little message board is not a wider reflection on society/our fanbase.

Ungrateful clowns.

Jeez....you lot are a bunch of old women. Most successful season for years and now Long and Tadic are no longer the whipping boys you have to find some other scapegoat. Soares did OK: good in some games, bad in others (like every other player) and will no doubt improve in his second year. A good buy and plenty of promise for the future.

 

Thank god this little message board is not a wider reflection on society/our fanbase.

 

Ungrateful clowns.

Eh?

Does anybody take WhoScored stats seriously?

WhoScored stats are supplied by Opta.

Can't really argue with any of the other names (except perhaps Gomes who has actually been outstanding behind a wobbly defence, even if some of his goalkeeping is comical at times). If you think Cedric's inclusion is because WhoScored stats are silly then presumably you think VvD is included in the same way. I wouldn't have said Cedric was the best RB this season in the PL but for a good part of it he was excellent. He is still a much better defender than Martina and also gives us more in an attacking sense (as the stats show). There is something else going on behind the scenes with Cedric, not just his ability.

WhoScored stats are supplied by Opta.

Can't really argue with any of the other names (except perhaps Gomes who has actually been outstanding behind a wobbly defence, even if some of his goalkeeping is comical at times). If you think Cedric's inclusion is because WhoScored stats are silly then presumably you think VvD is included in the same way. I wouldn't have said Cedric was the best RB this season in the PL but for a good part of it he was excellent. He is still a much better defender than Martina and also gives us more in an attacking sense (as the stats show). There is something else going on behind the scenes with Cedric, not just his ability.

Why would I think VVD's inclusion is silly? Perhaps our scores are purely coincidental. It doesn't mean I'm using the same criteria to rate a player. Indeed, I think an awful lot of those selections are questionable and markedly biased to easy-to-measure things like goals/assists. And it's not just this: everytime I check whoscored after a game, I'm frankly puzzled by some of their grades and the degree to which theyre out of line with what other fans and experts have seen.

Not sure why there is an assumption that something is going on behind the scenes when a player is left out. Why cant it just be that the manager thinks that another player deserves to be picked in their place?

It's really hard to give that any credit when Soares is in it.

Cedric gets Judged on what we lost.

Clyne.

Fair to say there aren't many RB's better Clyne.

Cedric gets Judged on what we lost.

 

Clyne.

 

Fair to say there aren't many RB's better Clyne.

This and CS will be better next year for having the experience of a season under his belt.

Must be due to not playing many games and getting good stats in the games he did play. Reading the article there's a lot of "per game" in his stats, and those numbers will be higher if you play fewer games, although obviously he reached the minimum of 20. Weird though.

I think you logic is completely wrong his stas were very good in the number of games he played

Must be due to not playing many games and getting good stats in the games he did play. Reading the article there's a lot of "per game" in his stats, and those numbers will be higher if you play fewer games, although obviously he reached the minimum of 20. Weird though.

How is the number higher if you play less games? It is an average over 20 appearances you could only argue he had better stats if the 20 appearances were against poorer teams and all the games missed were against top teams

Not sure that was the case

Not a single player from Man U Man C or Scousehampton not many selected teams could claim that over the years

Cedric is okay. I slightly prefer him to Martina. But best RB in the Premier League? Wtf.

Jeez....you lot are a bunch of old women. Most successful season for years and now Long and Tadic are no longer the whipping boys you have to find some other scapegoat. Soares did OK: good in some games, bad in others (like every other player) and will no doubt improve in his second year. A good buy and plenty of promise for the future.

 

Thank god this little message board is not a wider reflection on society/our fanbase.

 

Ungrateful clowns.

Right back of the season though, really?

Yeah Cedric has potential, but was not the best right back this season.

Cedric is alright, got better as the season went on - but to be fair to Martina he's come in and held his own, doesn't look out of place at all. I'd say he's shown himself to be more reliable tactically, although he does have his limitations and doesn't have the technical qualities of Cedric.

I think the thing with Martina is he is maluable, seems like he is willing learn and benefitting from being taught, mix into this lots of enthusiasm: what's not to like if you are the manager.

There was obviously a footballer in there, otherwise how did his name get spat out of the black box?

I think the thing with Martina is he is maluable, seems like he is willing learn and benefitting from being taught, mix into this lots of enthusiasm: what's not to like if you are the manager.

 

There was obviously a footballer in there, otherwise how did his name get spat out of the black box?

It didn't Erwin Koeman used to be his manager.

Well IMO Cocu has been superb these last few months coinciding with our brilliant run. Does the job well nothing silly,covers his centre back. That pass for Tadic to set up Long v Man City was sublime. Really can't fault him and he improved so much this season he overtook our expensive first choice Portuguese international signing to make the spot his own.

He plays for the stats

He plays for the stats

The Portuguese lovehound

He plays for the stats

I'm just pleased we're no longer having to play Yoshida at RB.

Well IMO Cocu has been superb these last few months coinciding with our brilliant run. Does the job well nothing silly,covers his centre back. That pass for Tadic to set up Long v Man City was sublime. Really can't fault him and he improved so much this season he overtook our expensive first choice Portuguese international signing to make the spot his own.

He gets caught out positionally at times but in the main he's done a lot better than was expected.

Cedric had some very good games this season, Chelsea away in particular if I remember rightly. But he sometimes was dropped following decent performances in what seemed like an attempt to provide a more physical presence in certain games in the form of Martina or even Yoshida, so I don't think this helped his cause and probably knocked his momentum at times. I think Martina has acquitted himself well though, he lacks in certain areas a right back shouldn't but he has contributed in an attacking sense too, and for his price has been a bargain.