Bulut: We create lots of chances but we are missing a lot

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Latest words of wisdom from our manager, claiming we create lots of chances but miss lots as well. How true is this? I thought I'd have a look.

Earlier in the season we were one of the leading goalscorers in the Championship. After a less than productive few months our goals for is ranked 18th. Given the last few seasons in the division, that's maybe to be expected. Scoring goals is an issue.

Bulut is claiming that we do create chances but miss too many. Of all the chances we create that lead to an attempt on goal, 89.1% don't get converted. That might seem high, but that's ranked 13th in the Championship. Leicester (at the top) miss 84.5% of their chances, while Sheffield Wednesday miss 93.2%. That would suggest that we're average in our division for converting chances. It's clear that all teams miss lots of chances. Leicester score a goal with every 6.5 attempts, we score with every 9.1, Sheffield Wednesday score with every 14.6. Chance conversion wouldn't appear to be a major issue.

I thought I'd break things down a bit further.

We are ranked 9th at the number of chances converted inside the 6 yard box, 13th inside the box and 17th outside the penalty area.

From set pieces:

28% of our chances come from set pieces, surprisingly that is only ranked 10th. 44% of our goals come from set pieces and, unsurprisingly, 17% of all chances created from set pieces end up in the net. That's almost double any other side.

From open play:

We're ranked 14th for chances from open play (68%). However, only 41% of our goals come from open play, the worst in the division. We score only 6.7% of our chances from open play - only Stoke are worse.

Unsurprisingly, 30% of our goals have been headers, the highest percentage in the Championship. 16% of our headers find the net, the second best record in the Championship. It would then come as no surprise that we have one of the worst records in the division scoring from shots, not headers.

A summary:

Overall Bulut's claim that we create lots of chances but miss a lot doesn't hold much water. From open play and goals scored with feet, he has a point, but that is countered by how ruthless we are from set pieces and in the air. I would suggest this is as a result of a squad with little quality. We don't create many good chances from open play and don't finish off those we do create. As for us creating lots of chances, we have managed 329 attempts on goal - the third worst in the division, so we don't create lots of chances overall.

[the other bob wilson]

Latest words of wisdom from our manager, claiming we create lots of chances but miss lots as well. How true is this? I thought I'd have a look.

Earlier in the season we were one of the leading goalscorers in the Championship. After a less than productive few months our goals for is ranked 18th. Given the last few seasons in the division, that's maybe to be expected. Scoring goals is an issue.

Bulut is claiming that we do create chances but miss too many. Of all the chances we create that lead to an attempt on goal, 89.1% don't get converted. That might seem high, but that's ranked 13th in the Championship. Leicester (at the top) miss 84.5% of their chances, while Sheffield Wednesday miss 93.2%. That would suggest that we're average in our division for converting chances. It's clear that all teams miss lots of chances. Leicester score a goal with every 6.5 attempts, we score with every 9.1, Sheffield Wednesday score with every 14.6. Chance conversion wouldn't appear to be a major issue.

I thought I'd break things down a bit further.

We are ranked 9th at the number of chances converted inside the 6 yard box, 13th inside the box and 17th outside the penalty area.

From set pieces:

28% of our chances come from set pieces, surprisingly that is only ranked 10th. 44% of our goals come from set pieces and, unsurprisingly, 17% of all chances created from set pieces end up in the net. That's almost double any other side.

From open play:

We're ranked 14th for chances from open play (68%). However, only 41% of our goals come from open play, the worst in the division. We score only 6.7% of our chances from open play - only Stoke are worse.

Unsurprisingly, 30% of our goals have been headers, the highest percentage in the Championship. 16% of our headers find the net, the second best record in the Championship. It would then come as no surprise that we have one of the worst records in the division scoring from shots, not headers.

A summary:

Overall Bulut's claim that we create lots of chances but miss a lot doesn't hold much water. From open play and goals scored with feet, he has a point, but that is countered by how ruthless we are from set pieces and in the air. I would suggest this is as a result of a squad with little quality. We don't create many good chances from open play and don't finish off those we do create. As for us creating lots of chances, we have managed 329 attempts on goal - the third worst in the division, so we don't create lots of chances overall.

He must think we’re idiots.

[the other bob wilson]

I should have said just think where we’d be now if we hadn’t rediscovered how to score from set pieces as well - I’d say it’s the only real difference from last season now.

[Cleve van Leef]

[D. Advocaat]

[QUOTE=the other bob wilson;5489785]I should have said just think where we’d be now if we hadn’t rediscovered how to score from set pieces as well - I’d say it’s the only real difference from last season

Set piece goals and a fair bit of luck the difference IMO. Would Lamouchi's City beat Bulut's current version? I'd predict a goaless draw.

[jon1959]

I should have said just think where we’d be now if we hadn’t rediscovered how to score from set pieces as well - I’d say it’s the only real difference from last season now.

I agree - but scoring from set pieces is a very big difference.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

I agree - but scoring from set pieces is a very big difference.

Yes. It's basically saying "we've given up trying to score by playing football because we're shit".

[jon1959]

Yes. It's basically saying "we've given up trying to score by playing football because we're shit".

Is it?

I thought most teams wanted to score from open play and from set pieces. It isn’t either-or.

We are in a bad place at the moment - can’t score, defensively fragile ( when we weren’t 4 months ago) and low in confidence.

But why that leads you to mock the one remaining area of strength is beyond me.

[the other bob wilson]

I’ve watched the interview now and can only say that Erol Bulut’s definition of what constitutes a “chance” is a lot different from mine, but I suppose the most relevant thing about it is that, no matter how a chance is defined, the opposition are getting a lot more of them than us lately.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Is it?

I thought most teams wanted to score from open play and from set pieces. It isn’t either-or.

We are in a bad place at the moment - can’t score, defensively fragile ( when we weren’t 4 months ago) and low in confidence.

But why that leads you to mock the one remaining area of strength is beyond me.

Because I don't see such a heavy reliance on set pieces as a strength. If a team defends properly against us from set pieces that means Cardiff City nil. We have nothing left. There were times when Wales played where, if Bale didn't produce, we wouldn't score. To be so overly reliant on one thing is not good.

[Des Parrot]

This says it all.

only 41% of our goals come from open play, the worst in the division. This reflects our style of play & how we approach games.

[Henry Hill]

Hes like Russell Slade and Steve Morison rolled into one. He must think we're f*cking stupid.

[Garth Blue]

Hes like Russell Slade and Steve Morison rolled into one. He must think we're f*cking stupid.

Or maybe, and this is even more worrying, he's f*cking stupid.

[FormerlyJohnnyBreadhead]

For me, this is more worrying than any of his other comments or rants over the last few months, because it suggests that he can't see what the problem is. And it's a glaringly obvious, stat-backed problem.

Suggesting that we create plenty of goalscoring opportunities is Putin-level delusion.

Like Putin, I do wonder if it's worth listening to anything he says in interviews and press conferences. The other week he was talking about the need to be quicker on the transition when we win the ball back. But against West Brom, every time we won the ball back in good areas, it went straight back to the centre halves to slow the game down and reset.

The separation between how he sees things and the reality on the pitch is alarmingly wide.

[Pedro de la Rosa]

He must think we’re idiots.

Either he is, or he thinks we are.

Re scoring from set pieces that other posters have said, everyone should aspire to be as good (and better) than we are. They aren't mutually exclusive! Set pieces are the most common restart, we should work on them but that doesn't have to mean we can't score from open play. God, we are boring to watch at present.

[Citizen's Nephew]

He is.

[bluemoon]

yeah we are missing a manger...

bulshit out!!!

[splott parker]

yeah we are missing a manger...

bulshit out!!!

Jesus