Zander Clark

[DearneValleyRover]

Clark was as much to blame for the goal as the wall, his positioning was poor

[Blue Green Algae]

Regardless of stats, senior has been a mich better option this season, I’m a massive Maxwell fan but he’s lost some confidence this year

Genuinely interested, if you're discounting stats, how are you measuring performance levels and subsequently finding Senior has been much better?

[scawsby steve]

Regardless of stats, senior has been a mich better option this season, I’m a massive Maxwell fan but he’s lost some confidence this year

Genuinely interested, if you're discounting stats, how are you measuring performance levels and subsequently finding Senior has been much better?

You'd be better asking GM that question, seeing as he's been picking Senior ahead of Maxwell in recent league games.

I don't know how stats are worked out, but we all saw Neufville embarrass Maxwell over and over again at Bradford.

[Hickleton Rover]

Zander Clarks position for the goal was poor, why stand that far to his left he corrected it for the identical free kick and made the save to his left

[scawsby steve]

Why are people nitpicking? If not for Clark, it would have been 6 or 7 nil to Stockport.

When criticising, look at the 10 in front of him.

[Barmby Rover]

Please, please can we offer this lad a contract in the summer? I hope we stay up, because he could be the start of building a defence that is solid and reliable. We then have to improve our midfield and get at least two strikers, one of which I would happily see Okoronkwo as a permanent member

[Ryaldinhio]

To offer some perspective on this......

If Moly or Gotts or Middleton or Gibson had scored that free kick would we be on here saying "yeah it was OK from Mols/Gotts etc BUT the wall didnt jump and the keepers positioning wasnt perfect"

NO!

We would be saying WOW what a free kick, let's get him on them more, how he got it up and down into bottom corner etc etc etc.

Its league 1, get a grip.

He had a fantastic game.

[Move DRFC]

Football is great because it really is all about opinions and everybody sees the game so differently. For me I’d play a half fit Senior ahead of a fully fit Maxwell. Senior is full blooded and leaves nothing out there. Maxwell rarely stays fit and maybe due to injuries he’s now like watching a child against men. Gets beat so, so easily and for me has gone backwards at an alarming rate. If we were relegated to league 2 tomorrow I still would allow him to leave. Sometimes players who have been at a club for a number of years just need to move on for the best of both parties.

I'm with you 100% SA, Maxwell was great, but since he's been back I think he's been an absolute liability - he doesn't tackle or block crosses and really looks like he's struggling to get about. I like Senior, little Jack Russell / pocket rocket type of player, he'd start first for me as well.

According to the numbers he puts in more tackles, interceptions, blocks, clearances, and carries out more clearances and interceptions per game than Senior.

Opinions hey.

I think people prefer certain players who play a certain way in relation to body language/graft etc. The numbers say Maxwell is better than Senior, but Senior is more full-blooded and will fly in for more tackles etc so many will think he's the better player. It's also why most of our fan base underrates Ben Close. He's got a lethargic way of playing but he's been good this season. And possibly why Middleton is starting to be preferred to Adelakun. Although both have been poor on the whole tbf.

Possibly also why McCann rates McGrath so highly. Full-blooded, full of passion, local lad. Problem is, he's garbage.

[dickos1]

Regardless of stats, senior has been a mich better option this season, I’m a massive Maxwell fan but he’s lost some confidence this year

Genuinely interested, if you're discounting stats, how are you measuring performance levels and subsequently finding Senior has been much better?

When you watch a football match, surely you can see with your own eyes if a player has done well or not.
Not many people wait until they go and study all the stats to then decide who played well.
Your own eyes can tell you, as long as you understand football of course

[Blue Green Algae]

Confirmation bias would make your gut feeling unreliable as a method for assessing whether a player had done well or not. I also suspect the average football fan isn't particularly good at knowing what constitutes playing well.

Scawsby Steve probably has a more valid point, Grant picks Senior more so Senior must be superior. This of course relies on Grant being a good judge of player ability - which I'm sure we all have our own views on based on his recruitment/selections this season.

[GazLaz]

Regardless of stats, senior has been a mich better option this season, I’m a massive Maxwell fan but he’s lost some confidence this year

Genuinely interested, if you're discounting stats, how are you measuring performance levels and subsequently finding Senior has been much better?

When you watch a football match, surely you can see with your own eyes if a player has done well or not.
Not many people wait until they go and study all the stats to then decide who played well.
Your own eyes can tell you, as long as you understand football of course

You only see so much watching players. It’s human nature to see what you want to see as well. Especially when watching a club you are so emotionally invested in.

Large sample data analysis is a far more accurate judge of anything isn’t it these days? That’s why it underpins pretty much everything in society.

People over value certain actions within football matches when watching. That’s a fact. There’s also so much happening in 100 minutes of football, how can one human being process and store all that information. Impossible.

You will watch a game and rate certain aspects of a player, I will watch a game and value different things. Human analysis is just so littered with bias.

I’m not saying there’s no place for a human being watching games and questioning things because there is. You would just end up with better outcomes using solely data vs solely humans when it comes to player and recruitment analysis, again, that’s a fact. One is a substantially stronger process than the other.

[Fal]

With the greatest of respect Gaz, the average and even hardcore fan couldn't give a flying toss about data.

If we scored in the 95th minute on Saturday after a god awful performance off of Billys backside all i care is about is that we won the match and gained 3 points, not that so many players lost their duels or didn't win second balls or put in so many blocks or what our xG is.

The only thing i hate about football these days is the massive focus on bloody data

[GazLaz]

With the greatest of respect Gaz, the average and even hardcore fan couldn't give a flying toss about data.

If we scored in the 95th minute on Saturday after a god awful performance off of Billys backside all i care is about is that we won the match and gained 3 points, not that so many players lost their duels or didn't win second balls or put in so many blocks or what our xG is.

The only thing i hate about football these days is the massive focus on bloody data

Some people have the capacity to embrace both of those things, some like hate data, some love it. Different people get different things out of being interested in football. That’s why it’s so popular. Want to their own.

[graingrover]

If you analyse body language throughout a game there are three players I would  need to talk to !

[ncRover]

Hi Gaz can I pull you up on the stats.

I’m looking at screenshots from FotMob side by side of Maxwell and Senior’s defensive stats per 90.

“Blocked shots”

- Maxwell 0.12

- Senior 0.72

Massive difference.

Another stat you haven’t included which is very full back specific is the “Dribbled past” statistic. For that per 90 (of course lower number is better):

- Maxwell 0.92.

- Senior 0.54.

Another big difference.

[Blue Green Algae]

With the greatest of respect Gaz, the average and even hardcore fan couldn't give a flying toss about data.

If we scored in the 95th minute on Saturday after a god awful performance off of Billys backside all i care is about is that we won the match and gained 3 points, not that so many players lost their duels or didn't win second balls or put in so many blocks or what our xG is.

The only thing i hate about football these days is the massive focus on bloody data

If we go back to what SOD used to say, focus on the performance because you can't control the result. But positive performances are more likely to bring positive results. We'd all love a 95th minute winner, but over the long term god awful performances won't tend to give you them.

The use of data driven selection and recruitment is more likely to give us positive performances. I'm not watching games thinking about data, but the club should be embracing it, regardless of what the average fan thinks of it.

[podrover73]

Clark was as much to blame for the goal as the wall, his positioning was poor

it went in over the wall , that is supposedly what the wall is for

[Draytonian III]

It went through the wall at head height, perhaps Clark was half a yard to far across, but as most of the EFL will know Oliver Norwood is in the top 3 in dead ball delivery, shots or crosses.

[Bentley Bullet]

The ball went a couple of inches above the player on the right of the walls (Robinson's) head. He could have deflected it if he'd lifted his heels up! As it happened, none of the players in the wall moved an inch.

I've seen more movement in a wall of dustbins on a practise pitch.

[dickos1]

Regardless of stats, senior has been a mich better option this season, I’m a massive Maxwell fan but he’s lost some confidence this year

Genuinely interested, if you're discounting stats, how are you measuring performance levels and subsequently finding Senior has been much better?

When you watch a football match, surely you can see with your own eyes if a player has done well or not.
Not many people wait until they go and study all the stats to then decide who played well.
Your own eyes can tell you, as long as you understand football of course

You only see so much watching players. It’s human nature to see what you want to see as well. Especially when watching a club you are so emotionally invested in.

Large sample data analysis is a far more accurate judge of anything isn’t it these days? That’s why it underpins pretty much everything in society.

People over value certain actions within football matches when watching. That’s a fact. There’s also so much happening in 100 minutes of football, how can one human being process and store all that information. Impossible.

You will watch a game and rate certain aspects of a player, I will watch a game and value different things. Human analysis is just so littered with bias.

I’m not saying there’s no place for a human being watching games and questioning things because there is. You would just end up with better outcomes using solely data vs solely humans when it comes to player and recruitment analysis, again, that’s a fact. One is a substantially stronger process than the other.

Confirmation bias an only seeing what I want to see?
For the last 2 years Maxwell has been a lot better than senior, this year he hasn’t been. I’ve no confirmation bias or seeing what I want to see, I’ve always raved about Maxwell and not been overly impressed with senior.

This last 3 months or so senior has been far and away better than Maxwell in my opinion. Football is all about opinion and there’s lots of contributing factors that influence that opinion.

[5minstogo]

Sometimes its down to balance as well. You could pick your best X1 players statistically but they would play terribly together. I think Senior is less forward thinking and more aggressive defensively so has suited what we need in getting back to the basics of defending.

Contract wise I think McCann will probably offer something to Senior and let Maxwell go seeing as now have Bayley to add into that area.

[Blue Green Algae]

Regardless of stats, senior has been a mich better option this season, I’m a massive Maxwell fan but he’s lost some confidence this year

Genuinely interested, if you're discounting stats, how are you measuring performance levels and subsequently finding Senior has been much better?

When you watch a football match, surely you can see with your own eyes if a player has done well or not.
Not many people wait until they go and study all the stats to then decide who played well.
Your own eyes can tell you, as long as you understand football of course

You only see so much watching players. It’s human nature to see what you want to see as well. Especially when watching a club you are so emotionally invested in.

Large sample data analysis is a far more accurate judge of anything isn’t it these days? That’s why it underpins pretty much everything in society.

People over value certain actions within football matches when watching. That’s a fact. There’s also so much happening in 100 minutes of football, how can one human being process and store all that information. Impossible.

You will watch a game and rate certain aspects of a player, I will watch a game and value different things. Human analysis is just so littered with bias.

I’m not saying there’s no place for a human being watching games and questioning things because there is. You would just end up with better outcomes using solely data vs solely humans when it comes to player and recruitment analysis, again, that’s a fact. One is a substantially stronger process than the other.

Confirmation bias an only seeing what I want to see?
For the last 2 years Maxwell has been a lot better than senior, this year he hasn’t been. I’ve no confirmation bias or seeing what I want to see, I’ve always raved about Maxwell and not been overly impressed with senior.

This last 3 months or so senior has been far and away better than Maxwell in my opinion. Football is all about opinion and there’s lots of contributing factors that influence that opinion.

Confirmation bias isn't conscious, so you wouldn't really know you were doing it.

You've not really explained why Senior has been better than Maxwell in your view. You've just said he has been.

The point of stats would be to help to explain why that actually was , or wasn't, the case.

[Lesonthewest]

Clark was as much to blame for the goal as the wall, his positioning was poor

As much as I like Tom Nixon I would also add him in the lead up to the free kick for the goal, he had a 60/40 challenge in his favour that he hesitated on & their player got there first.

[Ryaldinhio]

If you analyse body language throughout a game there are three players I would  need to talk to !

Well in general I would say Gibson and Haks, but according to another thread on here thats because of an unconscious racial bias 

In this game in particular I would have said Gibson, Robinson and Broadbent were awful and came across totally disinterested .....and Im a fan or Georgey boy.

Gibson in particular seems to be continually losing the ball and no end product despite good opportunities. The one on Tuesday where he ran through and tried to roll his foot over the ball but missed was as expected with him currently. Clearly he has talent, I'd love it if he came good from now to the end of the season, he COULD be a massive asset.