Possession

[Snowball]

Cardiff (top) have a lower average possession than Bolton (bottom)

Reading (game in hand) have the highest possession but are 18th

Brentford (second highest possession stats) are 20th

Forest (3rd highest) are 16th

Norwich (5th Highest) are 11th

QPR (6th highest) are 14th

18
20
16
11
14

They are terrible figures!

Fulham have the fourth highest possession figures and their win last night moved them to eighth
but today's results could drop them back to 11th meaning that the top six "possession sides"
would be 11th, 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 20th

That is hardly an advert for possession being the key to success.

Cardiff are top and Ipswich top-six on 44% and 48% possession.

Villa, after a bad start have moved up to 9th with a game in hand on Fulham
despite 48% possession.

The correlation between current league position and possession is -0.125
meaning there is little or no relationship (currently) between possession of the
football and points gained

44.5% 01 Cardiff
50.6% 02 Sheff Utd
52.4% 03 Leeds
51.9% 04 Wolves
51.5% 05 Preston
48.0% 06 Ipswich
52.0% 07 Bristol City
54.0% 08 Fulham
48.4% 09 Aston Villa
51.3% 10 Middlesbrough
52.6% 11 Norwich
42.1% 12 Millwall
51.7% 13 Sheff Wed
52.5% 14 QPR
47.2% 15 Derby
55.3% 16 Nottm Forest
48.8% 17 Hull
58.2% 18 Reading
43.7% 19 Burton
56.0% 20 Brentford
47.6% 21 Barnsley
47.3% 22 Birmingham
47.4% 23 Sunderland
44.6% 24 Bolton

[Snowball]

I recognise it's early in the season, that Reading have played a game less (9)
and Fulham QPR have played an extra (11) but I'd still conclude that managers
have come to terms with the possession game and don't fear it, not even slightly.

Anyone know if there's a stat showing how many goals are scored on the break?

[Snowball]

Action Areas, the third column shows how much
action occurs in the opponents' third


25.0% 41.0% 34.0% Queens Park Rangers
26.0% 41.0% 34.0% Cardiff
27.0% 40.0% 33.0% Millwall
26.0% 42.0% 32.0% Brentford
26.0% 42.0% 31.0% Sheffield United
26.0% 42.0% 31.0% Preston
28.0% 44.0% 29.0% Sheffield Wednesday
29.0% 42.0% 29.0% Barnsley
30.0% 42.0% 29.0% Burton
25.0% 46.0% 28.0% Aston Villa
27.0% 45.0% 28.0% Bolton
27.0% 46.0% 27.0% Middlesbrough
27.0% 45.0% 27.0% Bristol City
28.0% 45.0% 27.0% Birmingham
32.0% 41.0% 27.0% Ipswich

26.0% 48.0% 26.0% Hull
27.0% 46.0% 26.0% Derby
29.0% 46.0% 26.0% Reading
31.0% 43.0% 26.0% Sunderland
31.0% 43.0% 26.0% Nottingham Forest
32.0% 42.0% 26.0% Leeds

29.0% 46.0% 25.0% Norwich

29.0% 47.0% 24.0% Wolverhampton Wanderers
32.0% 43.0% 24.0% Fulham

[Dennis the Butler]

Counts for fcuk all !

[Snowball]

Counts for fcuk all !

Well that is what I said!

[Kitsondinho]

Possession is great if you are one of the world's top teams and are able to damage to opposition at will. It is less great when it means that...oh I dunno...Blackett, Beerens or Gunter have lots of it......I have no problem with Stam's way of playing BUT keeping the ball for ages and losing is not a good look. Something has to come from keeping the ball, something more than going 0-1 down....again!

[leon]

Possession is great if you are one of the world's top teams and are able to damage to opposition at will. It is less great when it means that...oh I dunno...Blackett, Beerens or Gunter have lots of it......I have no problem with Stam's way of playing BUT keeping the ball for ages and losing is not a good look. Something has to come from keeping the ball, something more than going 0-1 down....again!

It's all about movement. But Stam doesn't appear to be coaching them that,