There are some interesting stats behind Celtic’s meteoric rise to the top of the league and Rangers equally spectacular collapse.
Prior to the 5th November Celtic had played 12 games, scoring 23 and conceding 12. Since then they have played and won 10 games, scoring 21 and conceding just 3 times. So there hasn’t really been a significant increase in goals scored per game, but there has been a massive improvement in the defensive figures. Nine different players have scored during this time with Hooper, Samaras and (despite injury) Stokes scoring three or more during this time.
By comparison, Rangers have scored 15 goals in their last 10 SPL games with the goals coming from six different sources. Nikica Jelavic is their only player to have scored more than twice but he needed penalty kicks to achieve this. This period corresponds to Steven Naismith’s absence from the team.
Incredibly, seven of Rangers 15 goals in these games have been either own goals or penalties. Dundee United, Dunfermline and Motherwell players have all scored for Rangers while Rangers have benefited from four penalties. In total these seven goals have earned Rangers six points. Only one of Rangers 25 goals prior to this period was a penalty and none were o.g.s, so their period of good fortune coincided with their period of greatest need, a recurrent theme in the Scottish game.
None of Celtic’s 44 SPL goals this season have been scored by opponents and only one has come from the penalty spot, not that we seem to keen to score penalties.
The figures demonstrate the importance of having a variety of players who can contribute goals on a consistent basis as key strikers are always liable to injury or loss of form. Hooper and Stokes have already missed chunks of this season and Georgios Samaras started the season in barren form.
Celtic’s figures are all the more stark considering their most prolific midfielder, Kris Commons, has failed to launch his season due to a frustrating few months of injuries. Goal-scoring midfielders are a precious breed.
I was surprised at how little appetite Nikica Jelavic appeared to have for the contest at Celtic Park last week but a return of 2 goals from 10 games indicates the problem may be well established. He spoke to a Croatian newspaper this week and – unlike his manager when asked about the player being sold this month – informed them he had no intentions of leaving Rangers and that he was “focussed on playing in Scotland”, although he did reference Rangers financial problems.
If Rangers are budgeting on selling Jelavic they may well find the player wants a piece of the action before agreeing to move on.
Thanks to BigchipsUK for the research on the SPL goal stats.
You can order a hard copy of CQN Magazine, issue 5, with credit/debit card or Paypal and buy direct from the UK for only £3.50 + £1.50 postage and packing. Shipping costs £2 to ROI, £3 to Europe and £4 to elsewhere. Click on the link below to order.
Click here to view the new issue of CQN Magazine online for free. You can support the online edition by making a discretionary donation here.
[calameo code=000390171224afb293e4a lang=en page=32 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
731 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- ...
- 20
- »
Celtic XI: Cervi; Toshney, K Wilson, Curtis Jones, Izaguirre; McCourt, McGeouch, F Twardzik, Blackman; Keatings & Denny Johnstone.
To many folk turned up so Bangura sat it out.-)
Moonbeams WD. Kano 1000 \o/ Supporting Neil Lennon 100%. says:
4 January, 2012 at 13:12
The unfortunate downside of the internet, fortunately you can be prosecuted for using the printed word and electronic word in an illegal manner.
Like the way he tells Celtic supporters, the police and a few others to not go on his site, surely an inquisitive cyber policeman might be intrested in having a wee gander!
Off to have a bleach bath after reading that page, feel like I have been polluted in some way :(
Vaultbhoy
their period of good fortune coincided with their period of greatest need… how true this line is, this is how it always tends to be. Listen now to some sectors of the media pander to David Healy, is he really going to be rankers next saviour? I think we will see a greater injection of mibbery/hunguffery and just good old fashioned cheating occurring from the ‘powers that be’ in the second half of the season. Im sure Lenny will have the players well briefed on what to expect. If our young lions keep winning it really doesn’t matter what they throw at us. The good will prevail.
hamiltontim says:
4 January, 2012 at 14:47
Thomthethim
No, ‘Good’
share
:>)
Or one cartoon headline after Bobby Evans saved Scotland from an English hammering:-
” Thank Evans For Little Goals”
Gigi CSC
On Baba Diawara-, I caught the highlights from Maritimos 2-0 win over st. clara yesterday.
He scored the 2 goals, the first he was put through and slid it past the keeper,
the second a penalty.
He looked to be able to leap very high to get on headers from set pieces, but his accuracy
from a couple of them wasn’t great, i felt he could have easily scored from 1 or 2.
He also had another penalty, which he missed, blazing high and wide, and missed what looked like a simple
tap in to an empty goal from 3 yards out, hitting it over the bar.
So, a mixed bag for me, maybe worth a punt at up to 2m, a very big gamble at 4.
Good luck to him though if we get him.
Jungle Jim
re your Cryptic Quiz
“1P for a LT; 4T in a CU; 56 PUS ; 0 P is a PA.”
1 pound for a Lodge Team
4 Trophies in a Celtic Unprecedentedquadruple
Ol’ Papac is a Prize…….erm Asset
JJ
56 PUS is 56 Penalties Under Smith
Denny Johnstone got the goal in today’s reserve game.
bournesouprecipe says:
4 January, 2012 at 13:55
Anybody remember when Johan Mjallby scored at Fir Park but Shug Dallas failed to see the ball at least a metre over the line?
———————————————————————–
Remember a photo in next days tabloid,ball about to hit back of
net and lines man looking directly at it,must have a wee bit of dirt in his
eye.
JJ
More reasonable guesses might be 1 pound for a Lottery Ticket
5, 6 Pick Up Sticks
Still working on the other two
Hi Paul67
Ordered issue5 last wk,any info on postage time?thanks.
Hail Hail
Great stats in that piece Paul!
My favourite result of the season has to be the 2-1 at ibpox against Dunfermline.
Rangers win with an OG and a PEN.
Priceless
Me and
me and
me and
Curtis Jones, Curtis Jones, Curtis Jones…
Another great choon for ole Johnny Clash to master, on the ole mandolin.
Luxcelt -delighted to hear of Denny’s success.
He’s frae Dumfries.
Keep Ki , Move on players like Commons,K and M Wilson, M c Court,McGinn,Murphy,Odea.Rasmusson,Zaluska.I Think the Diawirra thing is not going to happen.Carew like Robbie Keane not for celtic, Johnny Hayes now thats a good shout,Chambers at Nottingham Forest is he the stocky guy that plays in the defence for them,if so not a bad shout as well.
So we won’t be getting German Wunderkind Marco Reus ;-) He’s also snubbed Bayern and signed for Borussia Dortmund for 17.5m€
John Daly all day long!! He’s my new Sutton. Young Tempelton as well and the tarts goalie.
Just you wait,
So, Jellylegs, Lafferty, Naismith and um…Kane Hemmings are injured.
4/5 choice David Healy will take the spl by storm now.
Since 2004 striker supreme Healy has netted precisely 41 times.
(and 29 of those were for Leeds between 2004-2007)
Taking out his 29 goals for Leeds and looking at his record since 2007 Healy has amassed and (un)incredible 10 (TEN) goals.
So over 4.5 seasons his tally is TEN. Average about 2 per season then.
He has scored 1 for Rangers this season and 1 last season.
Be afraid Celtic be very afraid, Healy is coming to get you.
Stats courtesy of wiki.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Healy_%28footballer%29
Help. Whats the history re well V thems results? Stats were on here last night but I cant find them. GRRRRRRR
blantyretim says:
4 January, 2012 at 14:57
—-
Aye, he seemed fresh enough, considering he fair whacks into them Brandy Shandies!
HH
Giggs
Is this the goal that Mjallby scored ?
http://i36.tinypic.com/2v0mlwp.jpg
Algarvian- Don’t know about Diawara but Craigan doesn’t miss from 3 yards.
Denny Johnstone sounds like a retro 70’s Rangers player equipped with the obligatory lambchop sideburns.
After 3 hours of being on sale, the tickets for the semi-final are almost sold out. Only a couple of sections left in North Stand.
HH
JJ
Not confident about my answers for the last two Diltoids you asked about but best guess is
4T in a CU = 4 teats in a Cow’s Udder
0 P is a PA. = Outer Planet is a Putative Asteroid
Can you clarify? is it OP or 0 (zero) P?
Ah Denny Johnstone?? Man who named Mr Thomas Murphy as the linesman who failed to flag Mc Donald offside but didnt name the other linesman who gave us the penalty in the 3-2 game.
Anyone think Sutton jnr would be worth a punt if released?
I always thought he was a decent player with St. Mirren and Motherwell, without being spectacular. Never really had a chnce at the diets.
Tombola
I hope no member of Celtic has ever taken part in that ceremony!!!!
Typhoo Tea, the choice of Champions
Some praise for the RTC website from The Drum Magazine. The full transcript can be read at http://www.thedrum.co.uk/opinion/2011/12/30/one-more-time (sorry Paul, can’t use the link creator) where Phil Mac’s pal Roy Greenslade gets rubbished but here follows the juicy details;
Finally – and perhaps obviously – may I present my pick for the 2011 hero and villain in the Scottish media sphere.
Hero of the Year is undoubtedly the Rangers Tax Case blog. As previously mentioned in this column, and in the footsteps of James Doleman’s outstanding work covering the Sheridan Trial last year, the RTC Blog has taken a single issue – in this case the questions around the SPL champions’ finances – and explored it in forensic detail.
In doing so the blog exposed much of the complicity between sports journalism and club staff in this day and age, forcing journalists, papers and broadcasters who may not previously have put one of Scottish football’s grande dames under so much scrutiny.
The only sad thing is the need for anonymity by the author of the blog, who would likely be denied the chance of a Press Award nomination which they so richly deserve. Still, hopefully they’ve the sense to put themselves forward for the Orwell blog prize.
JJ
0 P is a PA.
Might be Zero points is a Poor Attempt/ Prizewinning Achievement
or Zero Pounds is a Potential Administration
Jeez, that link creator thing is really clever!
As usual the ole CQN’rs come up trumps with the evidence.
Yes, goal line technology would be good for Celtic.
It would also have proved Big Fraser saved Wallace’s attempt, even though the picture they used has the biggest ball in the world, and the keepers jersey sleeve painted white to look line the
goalline.
bigjie
Thanks for that picture, especially the circle they put round the linesman LOL
HTT
Want a new Sutton?? Daly’s your man!!
Barton’s appeal rejected.. 3 match ban
No worries BSR, we cant have history airbrushed out , can we ?
starry plough/blantyre tim
Cheers for the line up info
Undoubtedly much more appealing than Joey Barton