If you've read some of my other posts, especially this one you'll know I feel Preki was fired very harshly, and that we were doing ok until injuries hit, especially to Chad Barrett. After seeing us win in his first game starting since he got injured, my curiosity was further piqued, so I decided to check out the stats for this season (and they say bloggers don't do research, ha!).
Here's TFC's record in games which Chad Barrett started, in all competitions, excluding the useless Bolton friendly. Won 9, Lost 4, Tied 5. In games he didn't start? 3-8-5.
Add in his substitute appearances and the trend is even more pronounced, 11-6-7 when he plays at least part of the game, and 1-6-3 when he doesn't.
So translate that into 3 points for a win, and TFC with Barrett has 40 points in 24 games, which would be a 50 point season, which even the most ardent Preki-hater would have to accept as a bloody good one.
Without Barrett, 6 points in 10 games, or 18 points over 30 games.
Now I'm not about to suggest Barrett is as talented a player as Dwayne De Rosario, or that this sort of results would translate to another side, or a new style of play under Nick Dasovic, but it seems pretty clear that he was the crucial part of the team that made TFC under Preki work. As well as his vastly improved goal scoring record, his impact is a very important indirect one, causing problems for the defence that allows others like De Rosario more room to do their own thing. It's no co-incidence that the goals also dried up for De Ro, and everyone else, when O'Brien White was the main striker for the defence to contend with.
Best player? No. Most valuable? Absolutely.
Fully agree on this one. I also took note of TFC's change in form once Barrett was off the pitch. Sort of a tough pill for me to swallow seeing as how I've always felt he was a waste of roster space, but he's apparently come into his own this season and is now a critical part of the starting 11. It must come down to chemistry. The team must now understand how to play him the ball, and what his run patterns are like.
ReplyDeleteAs for OBW, there is a true waste of roster space. Someone buy him another hip replacement, watching him attempt to run is painful. Watching him attempt to stretch out to get to that low cross against RSL in the CCL match, which would have made it an easy 2-0, was even worse.
Last year I kept throwing Barrett under the bus but this year ... I sure do miss him. He does provide a spark out there.
ReplyDeleteMy wiping boy this year ... Peterson ... this guy is complete useless out there.
Agree about White and peterson, I think the thing that makes those numbers so extreme is the lack of any decent back up. Santos might have been but he got injured at the same time. White was never ever going to thrive in preki's system.
ReplyDeleteWhereas for example Frei, he's a better player than Barrett and has been huge for us, but Conway would be a much better replacement so the drop off wouldn't be as big.
I'm very happy that barrett's done well, I always had a soft spot for him, even when he was struggling.