Form + Goal of the Season + Defence

I_Dan_Talisman · May 14, 2012

So we werent all that up to christmas.
MOTD goal of the season picks...from ten

Petrov - september
Ruiz - october
Taylor - november
Van Persie -december

There is a common denominator regarding those four goals. All scored against us. So once we stopped shipping potential goal of the season shouts we started to keep a few more clean sheets and our form picked up.
Villa normally turn up and thunder a 30 yarder or two in at Goodison, and RVP has been putting left foot volleys in against us since he became a starter for Arsenal.
We have seen it all this season, Howard scored, I cant remember a season where we have shipped so many deflections and own goals, how many penalties did we get?

It has been really odd.

Summerskin · May 14, 2012

Ruiz' finish was understated, absolute Worldy.

I_Dan_Talisman · May 14, 2012

Agreed, if I had to pick a favourite against us from that four, Ruiz gets it, run close by Perse.

bainesontoast · May 14, 2012

On average, we conceded 10.7 shots per game at Goodison this season. Only the following teams bettered this:

City 8.8
Arsenal 8.9
****e 9.3
Spurs 10.2
Chelsea 10.5

Away from home, we conceded 14.4 on average. Only the following teams bettered this:

Arsenal 12
City 12.2
****e 13
Chelsea 13.2
United 13.9
Spurs 14.3

So yeah, you have a valid point here.

Bruce Wayne · May 14, 2012

Where did you get those stats from?

bainesontoast · May 14, 2012

I have access to the Opta database.

Philw · May 14, 2012

Chicken and Egg question: Did they all score wonder goals against us because we were sh*te? Or was our defense so good they could only score wonder goals against us? And without those goals, imagine how many points we would have got this year...

I_Dan_Talisman · May 14, 2012

Philw said:
Chicken and Egg question: Did they all score wonder goals against us because we were sh*te? Or was our defense so good they could only score wonder goals against us? And without those goals, imagine how many points we would have got this year...

Sort of yeah. Once the wonder goals dried up we started collecting points a lot quicker. Some goals just cant be stopped, and bad luck in other situations has cost us heavily this season. Perhaps we need to pay our good luck and wonder strike subs all year round, just so we are never bottom of the pile on the 'to do' list.