Do the stats lie?
Or do you prefer to go with the “eyeball test”, that you believe what you saw?
There is this perception that Henry had a poor year, RVP was very good, Adebayor was very good, and Baptista was awful. At least thats what I’ve read.
The Stats say: Henry 12 Goals in 27 Appearances
RVP 13 Goals in 31 Appearances
Ade 12 Goals in 44 Appearances
Beast 10 Goals in 35 Appearances
Looks to me like Henry didn’t play too badly when he played. He was playing injured and fatigued and still managed to score 12 in far less appearances.
Was RVP fantastic? I don’t remember him being great, and the numbers say he was good.
Ade was a good 3rd of 4th striker… he missed a lot of chances and doesn’t have great touch.
Baptista scored against lesser competition for the most part, but his chances were only at years end and not playing with Henry or RVP on the pitch to create space for him. He needs space!! ‘Cause his first touch is shite.
Is Cesc our “Player of the Year”? I have seen that many think so. I don’t think he was close to his best from January onward. Played way too much and it showed. He is not the “carry the team” type of player. Sorry. He is very very good, and oh so young. He will just get better and better barring injury. The perception is that he was player of the year? Don’t see it.
Our memory deceives us sometimes. We often choose to remember what we want to. We remember our favorite players doing well, and our scapegoats doing not so well. Its just the way it is. I think we need a striker still, who is proven and tried and has done it all before. Not for a half season, but for a few years. United are supposedly stalking Anelka. You may hate him or not think much of him, but he can score. He would do very well there. We need “one of those”. I’d even take a shot with ever injured Mikey Owen. But alas, I think we’ll do very little.
The half-full folks think like the RVP quote, we don’t need to sign anyone. The half-empty think we’re miles behind Chelsea and United the last few years, (damn those stats, but thats fact!), and if we don’t do something to improve, the gap will only widen. If we stand pat, or add a lesser name or two, I think we’re in for the same season over again.
I don’t want to see that. I don’t want to see Henry / Gallas / Gilberto, and the older players give up on the club because their best years are being spent waiting for the kids to step up. If that happens, we’ll be looking at the 3-4 year plan again. There’s no telling whether Cesc would even wait that long. Here’s hoping Arsene perceives that we need to improve, NOW.
13 Responses to “Perception is everything…”
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June 2nd, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Statistics, Lies and Statistics.
I love statistics but I am very wary of them. Aggregate statistics such as 12 goals in 44 appearance don’t tell a lot if 15 of those appearance were for the last 10 or 15 minutes of a game when the result was in little doubt and the substitute was chasing a lost cause or in a team relaxed and on top.
To make statistics meaningful you have to look at more than the up-front highlighted figures. A computer system says Hleb was the tenth best player in the Premiership last year. Does anyone agree? Well, Paul Robinson was second-last, so some of it might be right!!!
Seriously, statistics can be twisted and abused and you need to be very careful when using them. Goals per appearance are interesting but can be skewed. Goals per minute played are better but not always the full story.
Striker is not my first choice position to fill. Wide left when Reyes leaves is more important. Wide right is also important if Walcott is to play up-front (which would give us five strikers). As I keep saying, apart from goalkeeper long-term replacement (possible sorted with the Pole) and wide-left, there are no obvious gaps in the squad and anyone who wants us to sign in other positions should indicate who should leave. Apart from the group who want to see Senderos go for another centre-back, no real arguable case has been made for replacement signings.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:13 pm
There are a variety of candidates to leave.
If we trot the same team out there next season, with very little change, we have no chance of catching Chelsea & United. It will be the same result. Maybe a bit closer, but still double digits.
Also, no significant signings might mean Henry is off to Barcelona.
You can’t say what you want about the man, but if he goes, we have absolutely nobody remotely close to being able to replace him.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:16 pm
Oh! The candidates?
Freddie is obvious. Senderos is obvious. Flamini. Gilberto has been mentioned in the media. RVP has even been mentioned.
What are we going to do during the African Cup? Just go without Eboue, Toure and Adebayor for how many weeks?
I don’t think we are so good that we can’t be improved in just about every position on the pitch. But hey, thats just me.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Flamini was replaced at the start of last season by Denilson. The only thing that kept him at Arsenal was the injury to Diaby. Gilberto, Cesc, Denilson, Diaby with Song, Merida etc. to play Carling Cup. Which of them is gonna go? Don’t say Song. Who cares about fifth-choice.
Gilberto has said he wants to finish his career at Arsenal. I saw that press conference on Sky Sports News. I didn’t see anyone from Juve on TV saying they wanted to sign him. Who do I believe?
Do you really want to sell RVP?
Hleab and Walcott for wide right, Rosicky and a new signing for wide left. No room for Freddie. Can’t argue with you on that but is ther anyone out there who doesn’t believe we need a new wide player?
Senderos has got his detractors but he has also got his supporters. Wenger will make the call. If he stays, he may not be good enough. If he leaves, he may, like Sidwell, come back to a top team.
You are still tipping around the edges. Did you notice Joe O’Cearuill made his international debut for Ireland in the States. One promising youngster to replace Senderos.
Everyone suggests between one and three signings. Those who want more have to identify who from Lehmann, Fabianski, Eboue, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Hoyte, Djourou, Gilberto, Denilson, Cesc, Diaby, Rosicky, Walcott, Hleb, Henry, Van Persie, Bendtner, Adebayor that they want to sell. That is nineteen players. I don’t think nineteen players got Premiership medals for Utd last season - you need ten games. So unless you are replacing one of the above, not a lot of signings are needed. So Stag, tell me which ones you want to dump, not who the papers speculate are leaving.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:41 pm
I’d sell RVP if we were bringing in a proven star striker.
Thats just me. He’s never had a great season, and is often better off the bench.
I don’t think Adebayor is all that good to be honest.
I hope Bendtner does the business. I’d take a shot on Michael Owen.
I’d only send out Senderos if we bringing someone in. We hung on to Cygan for how long?? I don’t think he’s leaving.
Yes, I noticed Joe C played… why not give him a few starts in our cup matches this season?
I don’t think we need 4 or 5 new signings. 2 would be nice.
Ribery or Babel on the wing…
and… spend the money… overpay a bit if you have to… but get Tevez.
He’s a game changer. He was personally responsible for keeping WestHam up.
Its not going to happen IrishG… I’d be Mid-July rolls around and I’m pulling my hair out.
Oh to be a Gooner!
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:50 pm
RVP finished top scorer last season, despite nearly missing half the season. Yes, I know it wasn’t a great tally but when you beat the rest.
I agree that two more signings would be nice (unless Fabianski counts as one of yours). Ribery or Babel or someone else on the wing (wouldn’t people have moaned if we signed Nani that Wenger doesn’t buy experience). For the second signing, I would like Wenger to make a judgement call on the players I listed in my last post and identify the one he believes least likely to perform and replace that one with someone else. That means a signing could be anywhere on the pitch.
June 2nd, 2007 at 6:01 pm
What does that say about Adebayor when he played much more than RVP and Henry and still didn’t have more goals.
RVP finished top scorer. OK, with that logic, we never ever ever should have let Pires leave the club. He was 2nd scorer to Henry every year…
June 2nd, 2007 at 11:33 pm
As Arsene pointed out, if the league consisted of just the top 10 teams we would have finished second just 3 points behind United. If it consisted of just the top four teams, we would have finished top. I do not think we are light years behind United and Chelsea(however, aggressive addition of players on their part may put us farther behind), we just need to be more consistent and for the players to star healthy.
I would rather drop all of the money on one or at most two more players. Definitely a winger, not sure who, and maybe another defender.
June 3rd, 2007 at 5:34 am
People have their own agenda’s with business decisions. Wenger’s agenda is about not allowing very good players that he’s recruited and developed, go to other clubs and become star performers, particularly for rival teams.
Pennant just played in a CL final for our rival, Liverpool. Sidwell just signed for free for another rival, Chelsea. Bentley’s left Arsenal and become an England International and is linked with signing for another rival. These are three young English players, groomed at Arsenal, who needed games to develop but couldn’t get them here.
Wenger, very reluctantly, allowed these guys leave to continue their development for the good of the player, not for the good of Arsenal. He’s sick of watching good, young players leave and do well for other teams. I believe his agenda is to put a stop to this exodus of good players that he’s developed. That means to replace players that leave with youngsters already at the club instead of buying new ones. I believe he gets a greater sense of pride and satisfaction knowing he’s developed a team rather than bought one like his rivals.
June 3rd, 2007 at 9:02 am
Joshuad, your theory might be true, but where does that leave the team? Watching kids develop while we finish 20-something points from the top? Thats why Henry might be gone. If we are winning trophies, NOBODY cares about what kid left the club.
And who cares where we would have finished if the league was 10 teams or 4 teams… ITS NOT!!! So that type of rhetoric is irrelevant.
Its about being the best team over the entire season of 38 games, against every team in the league. You have to beat Sheffield United as well as Manchester United.
June 3rd, 2007 at 10:32 am
Stag, I understand what you’re saying but when the person in charge has his own agenda and it’s about developing youth, what are you going to do? He’s selling his dream to his bosses because he’s saving them money and he truly believes what he’s doing to be right.
If what I’m saying is right, Wenger would be willing to go a few seasons without a title and maybe even as far as losing Henry to realise his ambition. Because he’s the one with the power the only thing we can do is support him and hope for the best.
June 4th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
lies. d@mn lies. and statistics.
imo Cesc was our best player. i liked what i saw late in the season from our young squad vs. chelsea in the cup final. plus, wenger only fielded his first choice defense in 4 matches the entire season. i still think that we need to get cesc and gilberto some help in the middle as well. too bad the blues signed sidwell.
June 5th, 2007 at 7:05 am
Seattle, I thought Cesc was mediocre for a few months… especially in January/Feb/March… he was fatigued from playing way to many matches.
Exactly why we need depth.