Where do our goals come from - a look back over selected seasons in the 2nd tier since 2003

[Eric the Half a Bee]

I've looked at the 2003/04, 2006/07, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2017/18 seasons along with this season.

Goals scored by strikers as a percentage of all goals:

2003/04: 63.0%
2006/07: 51.8%
2009/10: 45.5%
2010/11: 58.0%
2011/12: 41.0%
2012/13: 40.5%
2017/18: 21.1%
2019/20: 32.9%

2003/04 was the season of Thorne and Earnshaw. Earnie hit 26 in all competitions that season. Andy Campbell helped out with a few. 2006/07 was Chopra's best season for us. The three Dave Jones seasons shows a similar reliance on strikers to provide goals - the 2009/10 season figure is lower due to City legend Peter Whittingham (RIP) scoring 25 goals. Malky Mackay's City had less reliance on strikers to score goals and, erm, the figure of Warnock's promoted side is quite extraordinary.

Goals scored by midfielders as a percentage of all goals:

2003/04: 28.8%
2006/07: 35.7%
2009/10: 47.7%
2010/11: 32.1%
2011/12: 43.6%
2012/13: 39.2%
2017/18: 59.2%
2019/20: 54.8%

Goals scored by defenders as a percentage of all goals:

2003/04: 8.2%
2006/07: 12.5%
2009/10: 6.8%
2010/11: 9.9%
2011/12: 15.4%
2012/13: 20.3%
2017/18: 19.7%
2019/20: 12.3%

It should be noted that few teams play with 2 strikers any more. One striker, 2 wingers and 3 in the middle is the usual formation nowadays. If you take wide midfielders as attackers instead of midfielders for the 2017/18 and 2019/20 season, you get different results (obviously). Wingers a decade ago were mainly to provide crosses. Their role has changed somewhat and they are also there to provide support to the loan striker.

In 2017/18 our wide midfielders contributed 23 goals. This season it is 17. Chris Burke, arguably our best winger from the Jones' era had an entirely different role, though scored 15 between the 2 seasons mentioned.

If you count our wide midfielders as attackers, not midfielders, this season has seen the second highest percentage of goals scored by attackers since that 2003/04 season with Lennie Lawrence in charge.

[xsnaggle]

I've looked at the 2003/04, 2006/07, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2017/18 seasons along with this season.

Goals scored by strikers as a percentage of all goals:

2003/04: 63.0%
2006/07: 51.8%
2009/10: 45.5%
2010/11: 58.0%
2011/12: 41.0%
2012/13: 40.5%
2017/18: 21.1%
2019/20: 32.9%

2003/04 was the season of Thorne and Earnshaw. Earnie hit 26 in all competitions that season. Andy Campbell helped out with a few. 2006/07 was Chopra's best season for us. The three Dave Jones seasons shows a similar reliance on strikers to provide goals - the 2009/10 season figure is lower due to City legend Peter Whittingham (RIP) scoring 25 goals. Malky Mackay's City had less reliance on strikers to score goals and, erm, the figure of Warnock's promoted side is quite extraordinary.

Goals scored by midfielders as a percentage of all goals:

2003/04: 28.8%
2006/07: 35.7%
2009/10: 47.7%
2010/11: 32.1%
2011/12: 43.6%
2012/13: 39.2%
2017/18: 59.2%
2019/20: 54.8%

Goals scored by defenders as a percentage of all goals:

2003/04: 8.2%
2006/07: 12.5%
2009/10: 6.8%
2010/11: 9.9%
2011/12: 15.4%
2012/13: 20.3%
2017/18: 19.7%
2019/20: 12.3%

It should be noted that few teams play with 2 strikers any more. One striker, 2 wingers and 3 in the middle is the usual formation nowadays. If you take wide midfielders as attackers instead of midfielders for the 2017/18 and 2019/20 season, you get different results (obviously). Wingers a decade ago were mainly to provide crosses. Their role has changed somewhat and they are also there to provide support to the loan striker.

In 2017/18 our wide midfielders contributed 23 goals. This season it is 17. Chris Burke, arguably our best winger from the Jones' era had an entirely different role, though scored 15 between the 2 seasons mentioned.

If you count our wide midfielders as attackers, not midfielders, this season has seen the second highest percentage of goals scored by attackers since that 2003/04 season with Lennie Lawrence in charge.

But the percentage figures don't tell the story unless they are put against the actual number of goals scored.
When the percentage of striker-scored goals went down, did our total, which would explain the apparent rise in midfielder goals, for instance?

[Eric the Half a Bee]

But the percentage figures don't tell the story unless they are put against the actual number of goals scored.
When the percentage of striker-scored goals went down, did our total, which would explain the apparent rise in midfielder goals, for instance?

The simple answer would be that it made no difference.

For the 3 Dave Jones seasons we scored 57, 73 and 76. In Malky's two seasons we scored 66 and 72. Lennie's side scored 68 and Warnock's runners-up scored 69.

Chopra scored 22 goals in 2006/07, 39% of the tally. That's unhealthy. He went through a phase of scoring once in 14 games. During that time we won once and scored 6 goals in those games. Perhaps it might be interesting to see if, during those seasons when we were more reliant on strikers, did it affect our results more when they didn't score, as in did others step up to the plate or not? My guess is they didn't.

[StraightOuttaCanton]

The simple answer would be that it made no difference.

For the 3 Dave Jones seasons we scored 57, 73 and 76. In Malky's two seasons we scored 66 and 72. Lennie's side scored 68 and Warnock's runners-up scored 69.

Chopra scored 22 goals in 2006/07, 39% of the tally. That's unhealthy. He went through a phase of scoring once in 14 games. During that time we won once and scored 6 goals in those games. Perhaps it might be interesting to see if, during those seasons when we were more reliant on strikers, did it affect our results more when they didn't score, as in did others step up to the plate or not? My guess is they didn't.

I’m confused? You obviously realise Dave Jones was here for 6 seasons and that we played in the Championship in every one of those seasons?.....

.....Is there a reason why you omitted a whole bunch of seasons from the data?

[Eric the Half a Bee]

I’m confused? You obviously realise Dave Jones was here for 6 seasons and that we played in the Championship in every one of those seasons?.....

.....Is there a reason why you omitted a whole bunch of seasons from the data?

I couldn't be bothered to do every season. I was interested in the two seasons when we scored the most goals at this level, the two promotions, plus Lennie's first season after promotion and the first season Malky took over.

[StraightOuttaCanton]

I couldn't be bothered to do every season. I was interested in the two seasons when we scored the most goals at this level, the two promotions, plus Lennie's first season after promotion and the first season Malky took over.

Fair enough... sorry you wasted your time