Mills & Ream. Or, "buy a full-back, quick!"

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Inspired by the Ream discussion in another topic I had a dig into the figures.

Mills & Ream were the centre-back partnership for 12 games, from late September to Christmas. Before that, Ream had been playing in deep midfield, albeit generally dropping back into the defence when Freedman brought a forward on for a centre-back in order to chase a losing cause. To keep life simple, here I've just concentrated on the games they started together as centre-back partnership.

They first started together when Freedman dropped Wheater after the loss at Brighton left us bottom and winless in the first eight league games, in which we'd conceded 14. Draws against Yeovil and Blackpool hardly set hearts racing but we only conceded one, thanks to Bogdan's gift for the Glovers. Then a win at Birmingham was followed by home draws with Wednesday and Ipswich - again, no bunting up in Bolton - then wins at Bournemouth, at home to Millwall and at Watford.

After the loss at Boro, Knight came in for the benched Baptiste (Ream switching to left-back) and we lost in midweek at home to Huddersfield; by the weekend Zat was back on the bench, with Mills & Ream the centre-backs, and we beat Doncaster at home. We lost at Wigan and drew at home to Charlton, then it was Christmas and Freedman started shuffling things - and when McNaughton went back, the absence of alternatives (bar Mears or teenager Hayden White) meant Ream started to fill in at left-back.

In all, Mills & Ream started 12 games together at centre-back. We only kept 3 clean sheets but we only conceded 11 goals - fewer than one per game, and 3 of those came at Wigan. (We scored 17.) More importantly, we won 5, drew 5 and lost 2 of them, meaning we collected 20 points from a possible 36 - 1.66 points per game, equating to 74 points over a 46-game season - play-off pace in this division.

Of the other 14 league games this season - in other words, without Mills & Ream at centre-back - we've scored 14 (exactly one per game) but conceded 31 (more than two per game). More horrifyingly, we've won just 1 (Barnsley), drawn 5 and lost 8, collecting 8 points from a possible 42 - 0.57ppg, equating to 26.2pts over a 46-game season - relegation pace in any division.

Again, stats can't be taken in isolation. For a start, Kevin McNaughton played in all those games bar the first, in which Tierney got injured. (He also played in the win at Barnsley and the home loss to Huddersfield.) But over a reasonably reliable statistical period of 12 games with Mills & Ream in the middle, our goals-against went down significantly, and not uncoincidentally our points tally went up. It's frightening to imagine where we'd be now without those 20 points harvested with Mills & Ream in tandem, but I'll say it again: the other centre-back pairings have produced 8 points in 14 games.

Get Ream back in the middle, Dougie, whether it means signing a loanee (McNaughton works...) or a Luxembourgian, or switching Baptiste back to the left and picking Hayden White, Tyrone Mears or Curtis Fleming at right-back.

Mills & Ream starting games at centre-back, chronologically:
D 1-1 YEOVIL
D 0-0 Blackpool
W 2-1 Brum
D 1-1 WEDNESDAY
D 1-1 IPSWICH
W 2-0 Bournemouth
W 3-1 MILLWALL
W 1-0 Watford
L 0-1 Boro
---(L 0-1 HUDDERSFIELD with Zat in the middle)
W 3-1 DONNY
L 2-3 Wigan
D 1-1 CHARLTON

With Mills & Ream starting in the middle
Pl12 W5 D5 L2 F17 A11 Pts 20/36 (1.66 ppg, x46 = 74pts)

Without Mills & Ream starting in the middle
Pl14 W1 D5 L8 F14 A31 Pts 8/42 (0.57ppg x46 = 26pts)

[borgetti_wanderers]

You'd think with Dougie's scientific methods he'd of looked at these statistics and realised that having a solid CB pairing is the most crucial part of the squad.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I can only imagine he simply doesn't trust Mears or White enough to play right-back with Baptiste at left-back; that he would rather have one strong full-back (Baptiste is definitely more comfortable on the right) than two weak ones (Baptiste left and whoever right). That said, he was happier to pick Baptiste at left-back than McNaughton, who has played at left-back regularly during his career and did so again for Cardiff last week.

Maybe DF's trying to lessen the square-pegs, round-holes thing – but the trouble is, most of our centre-backs look like the wrong-shaped pegs even when they're in the right-shaped holes.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

If DF ends up being sacked, he will surely reflect on his decision to back Zat Knight as being one of his big misjudgements.

I can see why he looked at ZK, an asset that nobody else wanted but apparently with some potential - a massive guy with a once very promising future and 2 England caps - and decided that to gamble on putting an arm round him and encouraging him by making him club captain was the way to go.

Of course, the truth is that this approach was doomed to failure because ZK is irredeemly shit in almost every way. As well as having very little by way of defensive instinct, his alround play is timid and totally lacking in ability either on the ball or passing it - all of which contributes to him being a dreadful choice of captain.

I couldn't believe how poor he was against Reading. He did nothing positive and quite a bit that was flat out embarrassing. And he certainly didn't look like a leader out there.

A huge huge thing Dougie needs to do is bite the bullet on this one, accept that he got it wrong, and help us accept as a club that ZK is not an asset we are going to get anything for and that we're better off with him off the payroll.

[BWFC_Insane]

If DF ends up being sacked, he will surely reflect on his decision to back Zat Knight as being one of his big misjudgements.

I can see why he looked at ZK, an asset that nobody else wanted but apparently with some potential - a massive guy with a once very promising future and 2 England caps - and decided that to gamble on putting an arm round him and encouraging him by making him club captain.

Of course, the truth is that this approach was doomed to failure because ZK is irredeemly shit in almost every way. As well as having very little by way of defensive instinct, his alround play is timid and totally lacking in ability either on the ball or passing it - all of which contributes to him being a dreadful choice of captain.

I couldn't believe how poor he was against Reading. He did nothing positive and quite a bit that was flat out embarrassing. And he certainly didn't look like a leader out there.

A huge huge thing Dougie needs to is bite the bullet on this one, accept that he got it wrong, and help us accept as a club that ZK is not an asset we are going to get anything for and that we're better off with him off the payroll.

Well yes. Its not like he has given him a new deal though is it? I suspect the trouble was, you had an experienced player on big money who you couldn't move on. So you either try and coax the best out of them or have a very expensive benchwarmer or worse.

Both approaches have been tried unsuccessfully (he's only playing now because we've no bugger else), and I'm sure we won't be seeing him here next season!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Weird thing is that he's already hung Zat out to dry once. The 4-1 loss at Blackburn (back four: Mears, Knight, Wheater, Baptiste) prompted this:

"The players were told a few truths after the game. I've got to try and make sure there are players here that want to play for the football club. Right now, I've still got a feeling we've got to recruit two or three more players to get the right attitude in the squad. If certain players don't want to be here they go come Monday morning - that's how I feel right now. It depends on if anybody goes out. We need to understand that we've got a lot of money tied up in big contracts and long contracts and it's very difficult to then generate some money. Marvin Sordell and Keith Andrews are out on loan to help generate some money, and that's where we find ourselves right now so we've got to try and shuffle the pack to try and get the right type of player in here."

Much discussion followed over the following week about who those players who "don't want to be here" might be; Knight was at the front of most people's estimations.

For the next game (Leeds at home) Freedman dropped Wheater and Mears to the bench but Zat kept his place, alongside Mills with Baptiste and Tierney wide (and Ream in midfield). However, after an hour Zat was sacrificed for Beckford, in a move some saw as unnecessarily humiliating – although Freedman has long been happy to substitute a forward for a defender or vice versa as the scoreline requires.

After Leeds, Wheater returned to the XI against Derby and Brighton, but was subbed at the Amex shortly after we conceded three in six minutes. He hasn't played a minute since Brighton, although he's been an unused sub - most recently Dec 3rd, when Zat was in the XI against Huddersfield. Our league record with Wheats in the starting XI is W0 D3 L4 (F5 A15); without him, W6 D7 L6.

After Leeds, Zat was dropped from the starting XI for over three months, bar that one start against Huddersfield. He's started every game since McNaughton went back. Our league record with Zat in the XI is W1 D4 L7; without him, W5 D6 L3.

Mears hasn't played a minute since Blackburn; he hasn't even made the 18-man matchday squad since mid-September.

EDIT One other thing: Matches with McNaughton, W6 D4 L3. League matches without McNaughton, W0 D6 L7.

So maybe the thread title should end "Or get McNaughton back, quick!" - but that's out of Dougie's hands, whereas picking Mills & Ream as a pairing isn't.

[BWFC_Insane]

If he picks Mills and Ream who plays left back? We don't have one on the books!

[jaffka]

That's another negative against him.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

If he picks Mills and Ream who plays left back? We don't have one on the books!

Baptiste, as he did during the club's only reasonable run this season.

[jaffka]

Baptist left back, Mears at right back and then Mills and Ream in the middle.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Our league record with Zat in the XI is W1 D4 L7; without him, W5 D6 L3.

For me this is compelling.

We're not a good side with or without him, but with him we have someone who is not a good defender and who is also incapable of doing anything with the ball other than hoofing it upfield either straight to the opposition or, as he did against Reading, straight out of play over the halfway line.

Now I don't rate Ream one bit anywhere in the back four (he was dreadful at left back the other day), but if putting him at centreback addresses the urgent need to get Knight out, then so be it.

[boltonboris]

Just play White. Give him a go.. We'll probably lose anyway, so may aswell see if he's any good

[officer_dibble]

Just play White. Give him a go.. We'll probably lose anyway, so may aswell see if he's any good

As above.

Kellett?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Just play White. Give him a go.. We'll probably lose anyway, so may aswell see if he's any good

i'd be happy with that. And for DF it would show faith in youth without having to play Mears (his enemy) or Knight (most other people's).

Although to be scrupulously fair to Zat he did also play in our two cup wins.

[BWFC_Insane]

I don't get the 'just throw *insert random youngster* in' calls.

I mean I get our first team is shit. But throwing kids in can hurt their progress if not ready and presumably Dougie would be throwing in anyone who was remotely ready at this stage if the options were there.

[Armchair Wanderer]

Was Mears mentioned in this BWSA thing? Has anyone posted anything about it, or are there any links anywhere?
(sorry if I've missed it)

[Lord Kangana]

Has anyone considered Baptiste and Mills at CH and White and Mears at fullback?

It requires a slice of humble pie, but we could also accommodate a guy who was a previously good centre half elsewhere, who has form at being promoted from this division, in his favoured position, a specialist fullback who has form at being promoted from this division (rather than a round peg in a square hole), a cntre half who has form for reaching the play offs in this division and we can still play Ream in front of the back four - the position that the majority would agree that he looks most comfortable in. With that solidity around him, I would be happy that White would be in strong company.

Theres a decent team in there. Its just not being utilised anywhere near to its potential.

[BWFC_Insane]

Baptiste is a right back by trade not a centre half, as far as I know.

[jaffka]

Baptiste is a right back by trade not a centre half, as far as I know.

Ever see him play at centre half for Blackpool?

[Lord Kangana]

I'm pretty certain his preferred position is centre half. Indeed I'm pretty certain thats the position we signed him to play in.