Dan Jones

[ncfcog]

Just picking up on some comments over recent weeks about Dan Jones not getting a look in over recent weeks, certainly since HK signed Evina.

I personally thought Evina was an upgrade on DJ when he first joined us but he now seems to be going off the boil a bit. So with this in mind should DJ get another run in the team?

Looking back on last season I worked out some DJ related stats because I always got the impression he was great going forward but a dreadful defender.

Including the two play off games versus Coventry DJ featured in 28 league games last season, team stats during those games as follows;

Played: 28
Won: 14
Drawn: 7
Lost: 7
Goals for: 45
Goals against: 28
Goals scored by DJ: 4
Points per game: 1.75
Win ratio: 50%

obviously this is only one player and there are hundreds of other factors that impact on a game but based on those figures if he had played all 46 league games last season we would have finished with approx 80 points, possibly finishing a place higher than we did on GD.

The games he didn't feature in fell to Carl Dickinson. Now I know he gave us some very funny moments, especially when he skilfully dribbled passed 3 players before striking a venomous shot at the opposite corner flag, or maybe marauding up that left wing only to put his cross closer to the tea bar in the Kop than the six yard box, but I really liked Dicko, a player a bit like Turley, left nothing on the pitch.

Dicko featured in 24 games last season. I must add games 'featured in' include sub appearances where both players replaced each other and I have taken the goals scored and points gained based on their time on the pitch.

Dicko:
Played: 24
Won: 9
Drawn: 9
Lost: 6
Goals for: 30
Goals against: 24
Goals scored by Dicko: 1
Points per game: 1.5
Win ratio: 37.5%

Based on these figures if Dicko had played in all 46 league games we would have finished on 69 points.

Like I said, you cannot make one player accountable for a seasons results but the stats do show that maybe DJ is a perfectly acceptable LB in this league . . . I've not done stats for Evina yet, don't think he's played enough games for a comparison. I've also struggled to easily collate stats relating to assists which I think might actually favour DJ as well.

Maybe I owe him an apology.

Sorry, slow day at work

[nw6pie]

Evina started well, but has been very poor in recent weeks. Non-league level, I fear. Put a few good first-time crosses in against Crewe, but since then his attacking play has been weak (that godawful cross into the Family Stand in the second half against Oldham summed things up). His defending is nowhere near good enough (consistently being beaten in the air; failing to stop crosses) and he is forever giving the ball away.

Not sure if Dan Jones will be the answer but he probably deserves a second chance. There’s also Kellett, but he’s failed to impress on his occasional starts (he looked distinctly uninterested against Newcastle).

[Pieeyedandlegless]

You clearly need to get a hobby

[ncfcog]

You clearly need to get a hobby

Tell me something I don't know!

[Chicken Balti Pie]

Dan Jones isn't a left back. If we switched to 3 at the back, he'd work as a left wing back but that looks unlikely. Saying that, if Kewell was to go that way, we could line up with the following:

----------------------- Ross ----------------------
--------- Turley ------ Ward ------ Brisley/Duffy

Tootle -------Hewitt ---------- Milsom ----------- Jones

--------------------------Allessandra/Kellet ----------

---------------------Stead/Hemmings --- Enzio/Dennis

[Woodsetts_Pie]

Dan Jones isn't a left back. If we switched to 3 at the back, he'd work as a left wing back but that looks unlikely. Saying that, if Kewell was to go that way, we could line up with the following:

----------------------- Ross ----------------------
--------- Turley ------ Ward ------ Brisley/Duffy

Tootle -------Hewitt ---------- Milsom ----------- Jones

--------------------------Allessandra/Kellet ----------

---------------------Stead/Hemmings --- Enzio/Dennis

Play them all! 15 players on the pitch and we might just stand a chance.

[DelroyFacey22]

Dan Jones isn't a left back.

Dan Jones is 31 years old, it's a bit late for him to be finding this out...

The argument that he'd be a much better winger is because he's quick and looks impressive when he overlaps the winger. I'd fancy Jon Stead being able to take on and go past a defender about as much as I would Dan Jones. The only reason I'd play him in midfield is if we were being very defensive and wanted extra cover on that side for a specific threat. I think him and Evina are about as good as each other going forwards although I've seen Evina put in more great crosses than Jones has ever done for us. (A lot of poor crosses from him too though)

[Chicken Balti Pie]

Dan Jones is 31 years old, it's a bit late for him to be finding this out...

The argument that he'd be a much better winger is because he's quick and looks impressive when he overlaps the winger. I'd fancy Jon Stead being able to take on and go past a defender about as much as I would Dan Jones. The only reason I'd play him in midfield is if we were being very defensive and wanted extra cover on that side for a specific threat. I think him and Evina are about as good as each other going forwards although I've seen Evina put in more great crosses than Jones has ever done for us. (A lot of poor crosses from him too though)

I'm not saying he's a winger either, more of a left sided midfielder, think more like a rubbish David Beckham. In his first stint he wasn't a left back, but was bought in as a midfielder to replace Matt Ritchie if I remember correctly. Surprised me when we signed him as a left back second time around Nolan actually said we needed to improve his defensive skills...

[DelroyFacey22]

I thought he did play full back when he came on loan and replaced Jamie Clapham until we decided spending the ridiculous 6 figure sum we'd agreed wasn't a great idea and Stephen Hunt played left back.

Ben Davies played left midfield that season

[Glad2BeAPie]

Evina has been poor from the start, not just in recent weeks.